Troy Duncan STARS Very Important Patient

2 weeks ago

2 minutes read

At the time of his accident, Troy Duncan was working as a tire technician at the coal mine in his hometown. As part of his work, he works on tires up to 12 feet in diameter. On this occasion he was working with a flange, which was placed on the ground and was leaning up against other tires. As Troy was bent over cleaning the flange, it began falling and sent 175 pounds of steel falling into the back of his head.

The last thing Troy remembers before the accident is losing control of the flange, knowing he would not be able to stop it, and rather than fighting it, letting go and trying to get out of the way. Instead, the flange hit him directly in the back of the head and fractured his skull and jaw in multiple places.

“I woke up and I just looked down at my hands, and my hands were all blood.”

Amongst the pain and confusion, Troy was able to steady himself enough to find his phone and call his coworkers for help.

His supervisor and coworkers immediately realized something was wrong, due to Troy’s altered speech, and set out to find him. At some point, somehow in the midst of the chaos, Troy found enough focus and strength to free himself from the flange.

When they found him, Troy’s coworkers dialed their foreman, who contacted the mine’s onsite ERT team, who rendered initial care, dialed 911, and worked with EMS to quickly take Troy to the local hospital. There it was determined that his condition was critical and that he likely had a concussion. It was unknown if he had sustained even more serious injuries to his brain, so STARS was called.

STARS was critical in this situation as the highway just outside of town was undergoing major construction. In the case of a serious head injury, any delays or additional movement can worsen the injury and its effect, so the time and stability that STARS provides helps ensure the best possible outcome.

Upon arrival, Troy was rushed into the ICU, where he received life-saving care. His doctors and recovery team told him that if the flange had struck him less than a half an inch closer to the side of his neck, he would have severed the main artery in his neck and bled to death.

Troy’s recovery was difficult as it took place during the COVID-19 pandemic and only his wife and son could visit him in the hospital. However, Troy remained grateful every day of his recovery, watching STARS helicopters come and go with patients, and looking forward to the moment he could leave the hospital and get back to his truest joy in life.

“I am so thankful that I get to hug my grandchildren. I’m one of those grandpas that hugs his grandchildren and gives them a kiss. I love them dearly.”

Troy is proud to be one of the STARS Very Important Patient supporting Critical Care on the Air and kindly ask for you to donate to their campaign. He and his wife also continue to give back to STARS in a variety of ways, including through auctioning off homemade quilts at their local farmers festival.