January 22, 2010
Trauma Surgeon: Emphasize Safe Driving To Young Adults
A weekend crash in Davenport that killed three friends, critically injured a fourth and resulted in a vehicular homicide arrest for the driver is a devastating lesson on the consequences of unsafe driving.
Genesis trauma surgeon Joseph Lohmuller, M.D., focused on that lesson at a news conference Monday at Genesis Medical Center, Davenport. To illustrate the ramifications of unsafe and impaired driving, he spoke near an enlarged photo of the Jan. 15 accident scene on River Drive in Davenport.
"We're addressing this issue because the driver in this accident was allegedly under the influence of alcohol," said Dr. Lohmuller, after extending his sympathies to the friends and families affected. He has been medical director of the Trauma Program at Genesis, Davenport for the past 15 years. "Although there's an ongoing police investigation, we wanted to make sure that people understand this probably should be discussed.
"There has been some concern that this is the wrong time...that it's insensitive and inappropriate to do so when we have such an outpouring of grief for those who have died and another young man who is in an ongoing struggle for recovery.
"On the other hand, we know that to make a change in our culture, utilizing sentinel events and real stories has tremendous impact on a community and people's perspective. This is exactly the time we should be talking about this: Young people and old people alike - people in our streets...your family members - are being affected and injured under these types of circumstances."
A Difficult Lesson
The crash claimed the lives of McKenzie Morgan, 22, of Cordova, Ill.; Stephanie Smith, 18, of Moline; and Brandon Roberts, 22, of Rock Island. Kory Brown, 21, of East Moline is recovering from life-threatening injuries in the Intensive Care Unit at Genesis. The four friends were coming from a party in a car driven by another friend, Dale Hofer, 21, of Moline, who was treated and released for his injuries and taken to jail.
Calvin Atwell, M.D., was the attending trauma surgeon on the night of the accident. With the permission of Kory Brown's family, he gave an update on his patient's condition. Brown underwent six hours of surgery for multiple life-threatening injuries and, on Tuesday, was expected to be brought out of an induced coma.
"We are not sure of the long-term disability that he may have; we're taking it one day at a time," Dr. Atwell said. Brown suffered a significant chest wall injury, a ruptured spleen, a shattered left kidney, and a fractured left pelvis and leg, he said.
Even though the Quad Cities has seen a drop in traffic fatalities over the past five years and Genesis saw a drop in major trauma patients over the past year, the community must still constantly reinforce safe driving practices, Dr. Lohmuller said.
He read a quotation from a blog written by Kory Brown's father, Robert: "Please let someone learn from this."
"Our Genesis Trauma Program has a vested interest in the safety of the community, and we've made it our business to be at the forefront of prevention," Dr. Lohmuller said. "We've been working hard to teach young drivers and old drivers alike over the last 15 years or more with aggressive programs that educate people about the dangers of driving while intoxicated and driving while impaired. Currently, there's a lot of effort surrounding driving while texting."
Agencies such as Quad Cities Safe Kids and Quad Cities Safe Communities unite hospitals, law enforcement, fire departments and other public groups, to spread the message. In one year's time, the Davenport and Moline Fire Departments led at least nine Operation Prom Night events to make high school students more aware of the dangers of driving while intoxicated, he added.
In the past several years, the Genesis Trauma Program also has sponsored an event that gives free professional photographs to prom-goers, who are asked to sign a pledge that they will wear a seat belt and stay alcohol-free on prom night.
Attorney Catherine Cartee expressed her client Dale Hofer's hope that at least one young adult will learn from the tragedy. She described her client as "a good kid who made a horrible, horrible mistake" and read a statement by him.
"I used to be one of those kids that said, ‘That will never happen to me'...If I could do anything to make it better, I would. I cry over them, not me. I cry for their families and mine."
He and his best friend, Brandon Roberts, shared the same birthday. "My waking moments are consumed with guilt and prayers for all their families, including mine."
