I am part of the trinewbies online group, and this was posted. The Gage's are a fixture here in the "zonie" (arizona) tri scene. I am really shaken up about this. Add this to the horror off what happened to trek and Ducks friend in Santa Rosa and it just really upsets me. So much so that I've actually had thoughts on what I would want my family or friends to do if something were to happen to me.
By some grace of god it looks like they will be ok,but it's going to be a long road to recovery.
Read on...

George (and Jane) Gage in Phoenix - hit by car- very bad injuries - how you can help Enter the race even if you don't intend to race! See below!

Attention Athletes and Friends:

DCB Adventures will be donating all proceeds from this Sundays final Splash & Dash race to George and Jane Esahak-Gage.

George and Jane were involved in a very serious accident while riding their bikes this past weekend.

Please, even if you will be out of town or maybe do not want to race, go online and fill out a registration http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1329629

or send the registration in to DCB Adventures PO Box 27524 Scottsdale, AZ 85255, entries are only $20!

Details regarding the accident are copied in below, thanks for your help and thanks for keeping George and Jane in your thoughts and prayers! And please forward this email to get the word out, thanks again!


DeeAnn Bonnell

azcoaching.com

An Ultrafit Associate

USA Cycling Expert Coach

USA Triathlon Level 2 Coach

NASM, Certified Personal Trainer

Secretary, USAT SW Region BOD

deeann@azcoaching.com

602.369.257

What happened?

George and Jane were riding over the Chandler overpass heading West towards home - Jane was in the draft. They were traveling at roughly 18mph over the overpass. A 23 year old unlicensed, uninsured man who was late for work exited I10 heading South up the I10 off ramp towards Chandler Blvd. As George and Jane were passing in front of that intersection, the driver entered into the intersection and hit George directly on the right side. They estimate he was traveling between 30 and 40 mph when he hit George. Jane was in the draft position and as a result, hit the left fender and went flying over the hood.



The details of what else happened are unclear. Jane said that when the guy moved into the intersection all she saw was a flash, and next thing she knew she was in an ambulance. George landed in the median and the driver of the car ran into a pole, stopping him there. That driver was given a ticket for no insurance, no license and running a red light...and that was it.



Kudos to Tim Venard, the paramedic that arrived 1st on the scene. Simply put, Tim was the first person to save George's life that day.



George's Injuries...

George's injuries are extensive. The most life-threatening was internal bleeding from a tear in his vena cava, the major vein that receives all of the blood back from your veins and into the heart. It was in a precarious location from what the surgeon explained - buried under some vital organs, making the repair extremely difficult. The surgeon - Jordy Cox, was able to repair the tear and found no other internal bleeding. That was fantastic news!



The surgeons were worried about his right kidney, which was damaged but they said it will heal. After the vena cava surgery, the orthopedic surgeons went to work on his right leg which was broken at his tibia with bone and muscle exposed. It was a long, difficult surgery. They were able to repair his leg by placing a titanium rod into the bone. >From what we were told, the surgery went well.



George is currently in the surgical ICU on a respirator. The trauma to his body also included two broken vertebra in his neck, a punctured and collapsed lung, two broken ribs, a broken scapula, a broken clavicle, at least 5 breaks in his pelvis, and pretty much all of his teeth were knocked out. The cat scan showed no nervous system damage. Thank God.. meaning his brain is fine and he has lost no feeling that they know of - so no paralysis. George was able to move all digits to some extent according to Jordy.



What's next for George?

George will be in the surgical ICU for a while. There are no visitors outside of family allowed while in the surgical ICU, and even then, it's very limited. Jane is going down for her visits and leaving - so attempting to go down and visit there would not be a good idea at this time. George will be just needing family visiting for now. As soon as he's moved out of Surgical ICU and Jane wants him to have visitors, we'll let you guys know.



What is George's Current Status?

George had a fantastic night. He was responsive to the ICU nursing and medical staff when spoken to and was able to nod head. When I spoke to Jane's sister Marty this morning at 11:00am, she said that George has really stabilized, is calm and resting.



Jane's Injuries

Jane had a cat scan which showed she was ok. She suffered from a mild concussion and broken pinkie fingers. Her knees were scrapped up pretty good. She was released from the hospital around 4pm yesterday afternoon. I spoke briefly with her sister today around noon, and Jane is sore but physically doing ok.



What's Jane's Current Status?

Jane has obviously been through hell the past 24 hours...but she's doing very well, all things considered. She's emotionally exhausted and did not sleep well last night. Marty (her sister) is driving her to and from the hospital so she can have a bit more recovery time from the head bump yesterday, and family is with Jane at all times right now. This morning Jane asked her family for time to herself, so she's obviously in need of some privacy / processing time.



What's the family going through?

Many family members and friends of family were with Jane all day yesterday, including Kristin McHardy. She is right on the money when she reports that Jane "has been a brave soul." Jane heard everything from "we may lose him" to "he may lose a kidney" to "he may need the leg amputated" from the doctors. " Jane is an incredibly strong woman - and we all love this family very much...but you have to remember that...

Jane and her family have been through hell yesterday waiting and the Lord brought George through yesterday miraculously. They really need our prayers. Kristen and Marty are going to ask Jane what kind of help she may need. Kristen plans on organizing volunteers for meals. However, at this time I think Jane will have her mother at her house and of course