Montana teen who had half of his body amputated marks three-year anniversary
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A teenager who had half his body amputated after being crushed by a forklift has marked the three-year anniversary of the accident with an emotional video documenting his “long journey” to recovery.
Loren Schauers, 19, was driving the industrial truck over a bridge when it strayed, plunged 50 feet, and got stuck under the massive vehicle on September 27, 2019 in Great Falls, Montana.
Loren, now 22, remained fully conscious the entire time – and looked down to see that his right arm had exploded and everything below his hips was completely squashed.
The young worker made the bold decision to have doctors perform hemicorporectomy — amputating everything below his waist — to save his life.
Doctors told his devastated then-girlfriend Sabia Reiche, who is now his wife, that he would not survive, and she said goodbye to him six times, fearing he would not live another day.
But miraculously he succeeded and the couple have now shared a YouTube video featuring a compilation of footage from the past three years – including their wedding in February 2021.
Sabia also posted a series of photos of Loren on Instagram to mark the three-year anniversary of the crash, writing: ‘Three years, today, since we lost you almost forever. I love you. You are my best friend.’
The couple, who have bought their own home since the accident and have recorded their lives on YouTube, edited nearly 13 hours of footage and cut it into a 57-minute video, starting with a video of Loren being treated at a rehabilitation center. after undergoing a hemicorporectomy.
They ended the video with the words: “It’s been a long and wild journey and we can’t wait to see where else life will take us and we hope we can continue to take you all with us.”
One person commented: ‘I will never get over Loren’s positive and easygoing attitude. He’s just so chill about everything.’
Loren Schauers, 19, was driving the industrial truck over a bridge when it twisted away, plunged 50 feet and became trapped on the ground under the massive vehicle on September 27, 2019 in Great Falls, Montana.
Teen hospitalized in Montana after lower half of his body was amputated after horror forklift crash
Schauers is pictured with partner Sabia, who was told six times that he would not be able to get through after the accident
Schauers is pictured working on the bridge structure before his accident
The YouTube video shows Sabia dressing Loren and helping him into his wheelchair, while also showing how he went through rehabilitation and physical therapy.
“Everyone wants to see the world from Loren’s perspective, but nobody wants to be in Loren’s position,” Sabia says in a clip.
Sabia also said in a clip, from 2020, that the couple had moved into an apartment, meaning they “got a lot more time with us.”
And Loren revealed he got a new bionic arm. He said, ‘It’s a prosthetic arm, of course, but it gives you full function in every single digit. That way I can move each finger individually.’
Loren worked as a construction site worker during a bridge repair job in September 2019.
He was driving a forklift over a highway bridge outside Wilsal, Montana, when cars illegally drove into him through traffic lights.
The single lane had narrowed dramatically and when a car passed him Loren veered too close to the edge of the bridge and the ground crumbled beneath him.
He attempted to jump off the falling forklift, but his leg became trapped by the seat belt, causing him to be thrown off the machine as it descended 50 feet down a steep hill.
Loren also mentioned that he got a new bionic arm. He said, ‘It’s a prosthetic arm, of course, but it gives you full function in every single digit. So that I can move each finger on its own’
Schauer, who worked as a laborer, underwent a hemicorporectomy — amputating everything below his waist — to save his life
Schauers pictured at post-surgery physical therapy in Montana
The forklift rolled down the hill three times before Loren hit the ground at the bottom of the hill and the forklift landed on top of him crushing his body.
Loren said in a video: “When the edge of the bridge collapsed and the forklift started to tip over, I unfastened my seat belt and jumped out.
“I now know that was the wrong idea, but it was fight or flight.
“The seat belt ended up wrapping around my leg when I jumped out, so I swung out instead and broke one of my ribs off the floorboard of the forklift.
“I tried to stay on top of the forklift as much as I could as it rolled and then I was thrown from the forklift at the end of the hill when it finally landed.
“I was conscious the whole time. My eyes were wide open and I saw the forklift come down and land on my hips and my right forearm.
“I remember looking to my right with the forklift on top of my body and there was a big old piece of muscle from my arm lying on the floor next to me. It was just blown apart instantly by the impact.’
Schauers is in the picture with Sabia after his operation
The couple have since been married and have their own home
An air ambulance landed on the bridge and pulled Loren up the hill on a stretcher before flying to a hospital in Bozeman, Montana, where he met his loved ones.
Loren had completely lost his right forearm and hand in the accident and fractured his right collarbone and shoulder.
He got a pulmonary embolism – a blockage in his pulmonary artery – and needed a breathing tube.
His lower body was crushed in the accident, and Loren made the bold decision to undergo a hemicorporectomy that involved amputating everything below his waist.
A month after his accident, Loren was transferred to a hospital in Montana so family could visit him, as doctors still believed he was going to die.
But his health began to improve at an incredible rate.
Doctors had thought he would be in the hospital for at least a year and a half, but he stayed for three months, for four weeks of rehabilitation, and then he was home.
Loren has taught himself how to don his ‘bucket’ prosthesis and get into his wheelchair unaided.