Marty’s recovery GoFundMe raises over $15,000 as St Paul man recovers from snowmobile accident

A St. Paul Park man, Marty, is facing a long road to recovery after a severe snowmobile accident on February 2 left him with traumatic injuries. As he remains hospitalized, friends, family, and community members have rallied behind him, raising more than $15,000 through a GoFundMe campaign to support his medical expenses.

Unfortunately, he was not wearing a helmet at the time and was ejected from the snowmobile, causing very traumatic injuries. His cousin, Mike, who was on a separate snowmobile, witnessed the snowmobile accident and immediately asked someone called Kathy to contact 911. Mike provided CPR and also held pressure on Marty’s head wound.

According to their GoFundMe,

"Due to dropping blood pressure, the medical team had to perform a (successful) second resuscitation attempt. Once stabilized, Marty was airlifted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul."

He suffered extensive injuries, including a fractured skull, cracked sternum, broken rib, and seven broken vertebrae.

Marty had multiple brain bleeds and underwent surgery which went well. According to his GoFundMe, he will stay intubated on the ventilator for the foreseeable future because his body needs time to rest and heal.

The neurosurgeon is considering doing a spinal fusion later this week, which wouldn’t limit his range of motion too much. Since his fractures are lower in the neck (C6-7 and T1-5), he has a much lower risk for paralysis.

The GoFundMe campaign description details:

"Right now the most important thing is to keep Marty’s agitation low. The slightest bit of sound, touch, or movement can be irritating to people with brain injuries. We kindly ask that people refrain from visiting right now so he can get that much-needed rest."

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The dangers of snowmobile accidents

Marty's accident is a sober reminder of the dangers involved with snowmobiling. There have been 145 recorded fatalities in OPGet respects for the past ten snowmobile seasons, reported Bay Today.

Among the leading causes of snowmobile-related mortalities are excessive speed, driving too fast for conditions, and alcohol impairment. Although it is not known what may have led to Marty's crash, the injuries he sustained underscore the importance of safety precautions, including helmet use and responsible riding.

In addition, driving on frozen bodies of water creates other appreciable hazards where nearly 40% of snowmobile-related fatalities have emerged from frozen lakes and rivers; where ice conditions remain risky and ever-changing.

Safety is ensured through snowmobilers riding on designated trails and checking real-time conditions via sources such as the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) Interactive Trail Guide. It is also illegal to ride on any OFSC trail that is marked as unavailable.