09/18/2025
18 SEPT 2025 - I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but once you read it, you’ll understand.
Many of you have followed Ray’s story since his accident. What most people don’t know is that the car accident itself did not cause Ray’s injuries.
Yes, Ray did have a car accident, died, and miraculously woke back up. But that is a half-truth.
Ray's accident is not what killed him.
On August 16, 2021, Ray’s car struck a bridge and flipped into the Elkhorn River. Though trapped in the vehicle, he was alert, conscious, and speaking with bystanders until rescue crews arrived. He had no broken bones, no head trauma, and later scans showed no water in his lungs.
According to medical records and court testimony, once Ray was placed in the ambulance, EMS attempted a medical procedure called a thoracostomy - typically used when a lung has collapsed. Expert witnesses testified that Ray’s lungs had not collapsed and that this procedure was not necessary.
What happened next was catastrophic.
On the first attempt, the tube was inserted but produced pulsating blood instead of air. Doctors later confirmed this was because the needle struck Ray’s heart.
On the second attempt, the same thing happened again.
On the third attempt, once again, blood, not air, came through.
On the fourth attempt, the result was the same.
Incredibly, the medic tried a fifth time, and once again Ray’s heart was punctured.
By the time the life flight helicopter lifted off, blood had filled the sac around Ray’s heart. He went into cardiac arrest and died in flight.
He was resuscitated at the hospital, but before surgeons could operate, he went into cardiac arrest again. He was brought back a second time, and emergency open-heart surgery saved his life. After surgery, doctors showed us scans confirming Ray’s heart had five separate puncture wounds. They also told us plainly: his life-threatening injuries were not caused by the crash, but by the procedure.
The outlook was grim. We were told Ray would not survive the night. We said our goodbyes and last rites were performed. Yet by God’s grace, Ray survived. Weeks later, though declared clinically brain-dead, he slowly began to wake up.
Today, Ray is fully aware and can communicate, but he lives with major challenges to his vision and mobility caused by the brain injury from the procedure.
We pursued justice. Our attorney, who is also a doctor, presented medical evidence, surgeon testimony, and eyewitness accounts showing this was not just negligence, but gross negligence. Yesterday in court, the judge ruled against us, calling it negligence but not “gross negligence,” which meant Ray was awarded nothing.
We are heartbroken but not defeated. We are appealing this decision. We believe the truth will come to light. And we believe God is greater than any courtroom.
Please continue to pray for Ray, for our family, and for wisdom as we move forward. Your prayers and love have carried us through these years, and we are deeply grateful.
Please share this post so others know the truth about what really happened to Ray.
God bless you all.
