Daniel Zimmerman of Galesburg and his family and friends are counting their blessings one week after a severe motocross accident left the young 20-year-old wounded with internal injuries doctors report many people don’t survive from.
Oak Ridge Motocross
Zimmerman was released from the hospital Aug. 14.
Daniel was in Garwin on Sunday, Aug. 7, to race in the 11th-round District 22, AMA-sanctioned race, a competition that counted toward the year-end points standings. Going into the race weekend, Daniel was sitting in third place and looking forward to a great race on a well-received track.
The race was going well for Daniel, who was racing on a hard-packed track during the second race of the day. While he was doubling through a section of rollers, the rear wheel of his 2016 KTM 350sx bike kicked out left, and in the second jump, the wheel kicked out right. When the bike hit the ground, Daniel was catapulted into the next jump, taking all of the impact on the right side of his abdomen.
Rider Down
Daniel knew he was hurt but did not initially think it was serious. “I had the wind knocked out of me worse than I’ve ever experienced before,” said Daniel. Immediately, race day paramedics were by his side assessing his injuries. The severity of the internal injuries was not known at the time, and a friend transported Daniel to Newton via car where they met Daniel’s parents, Kevin and Kris. By this time, Daniel wondered if his injuries were more severe because he was experiencing very short breathing rhythms and was barely able to talk. Once with his parents, he went to Skiff hospital in Newton where CAT scans revealed the situation was dire.
First helicopter flight
While flying over jumps on dirt tracks is part of the thrill that gets motocross competitors’ adrenaline rushing, the flight Daniel took from Newton to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines was not nearly as exciting. CAT scans showed Daniel had suffered severe kidney and liver damage in the wreck and immediately the call was made to life flight. Upon arrival at Mercy, trauma surgeons assessed his condition and determined surgery was needed yet that night. Doctors performed a procedure similar to an angiogram to stop bleed-ing from the main artery to the right kidney. The right kidney sustained too much damage to be saved and the liver also had severe lacerations. According to the main doctors caring for Daniel, the grade five injuries to his liver and kidney were so severe that most people with these types of injuries don’t even survive or make it out of the hospital. Daniel was fortunate the bleeding was held to a small pocket within his abdomen rather than bleeding out. Although the liver and kidney damage was very severe, Daniel was otherwise okay with no broken bones or a concussion.
Baby steps forward
Following emergency surgery, Daniel was in Mercy’s intensive care unit for three days. During that time, his parents and siblings, Derrick and Kara, remained by his side. The family posted updates on social media, and friends and community members flooded the family’s respective Facebook pages with prayers, well wishes, and words of encouragement.
Daniel’s recovery from the severe accident was filled with highs and lows. On Monday, one day after the accident, Daniel passed blood clots, which was a good sign of progress. A fever that spiked later that day was a setback that required close monitoring.
Tuesday was a big day for the extreme sports competitor. The port to an artery in his leg was removed, another big step forward and one that provided more comfort. Doctors also determined physical therapy could be started so Daniel took a walk down the hall and even sat in a chair for awhile. Additional tubes and wires were removed, and Daniel was able to try to eat real food, even though he didn’t have much of an appetite. The biggest jump of the day was the move from the ICU to a regular room on Mercy’s fifth floor.
While Tuesday was a monumental day for progress, it was also a painful one. Doctors predicted this day Daniel would feel the worst; the gutsy patient relied only on Tylenol for the pain even though stronger pain relief was available.
“You all know his personality and work ethic. Daniel is handling this experience exactly as you think he would, just like he handles any task he’s given,” wrote his mom in a Facebook update of her son’s determined spirit.
Big steps forward were taken on Tuesday shadowed by major concerns – Daniel’s liver enzymes rose, his white blood count was up, output was back to red indicating blood, abdomen discomfort was high, and the pesky fever continued to rise.
With white count levels still on the rise on Wednesday, another CAT scan of the abdomen and pelvis was performed to try to determine the cause. His mom wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday evening, “Tonight, we really do not know anything new, which is actually a challenging (slightly frustrating) part of this road to recovery for Daniel.”
The CAT scan revealed the liver looked the same as it did Sunday night and there was more blood surrounding the non-functioning right kidney. In addition, Daniel still had a temperature over 100 degrees, even with Tylenol in his system. That temperature continued to climb overnight, which resulted in a flurry of medical personnel performing a variety of tests. Chest x-rays were taken, as well as blood cultures. The family reached out to friends and loved ones for prayers, and the next morning, Daniel’s temperature had fallen to just under 100 degrees. As his mom posted, “Reminded to trust in God’s timing. He’s never late.”
Homeward bound
Five days after the accident that nearly claimed his life, Daniel and his family were given hopeful news – if he could go 24 hours without a fever, he could go home on Sunday. Doctors reiterated his recovery was nothing short of a miracle. One of the main doctors told the Zimmermans that Daniel’s injuries were grade five, saying “most people with the same injuries don’t make it to the hospital, let alone survive.”
Daniel was released from the hospital just one week after a motocross accident left him with only one functioning kidney and damage to his liver. At home, Daniel will have to monitor his body closely for four scenarios that might arise over the next three months. Doctors report if Daniel can make it through the next three months without any “hiccups,” it will be amazing.
The way Daniel’s body treats the non-functioning right kidney is a main area of concern. Ideally, the kidney will shrivel up and cause no problems. However, the body could see it as a foreign object and try to turn it into liquid, which could cause infection. Fevers may be part of his daily routine for the next month or so as the body continues to heal and life returns to normal. “Eventually, I should be able to get back to 100 percent activity and do everything I used to, but now I have to make sure I don’t hurt my other kidney,” said Daniel.
Life moving forward will be different for Daniel, who has always been an extreme sports fan and competitor. Medically, Daniel can never take ibuprofen again, as well as some common antibiotics. Additionally, his competition days as a motocross driver, something he has done since 2007, are most likely over. However, Daniel plans to be involved in as much as he can once fully recovered. “Motorsports are a passion of mine, and I will continue to ride dirt bikes, snowmobiles, and motorcycles as much as I can,” said Daniel.
Thankful and blessed
Daniel and his family are extremely grateful and wish to express their deepest thanks to everyone who has walked this journey with them – the paramedics at the track, the Gillam family for transporting Daniel to Newton, the medical personnel at Skiff and Mercy hospitals, the motocross family who helped load up Daniel’s wrecked bike, and the entire community who lifted Daniel and his family up in prayer.
