Lessons in survival, awareness and bravery. The Damien Merchant story.

One lesson learned from 20-plus years in law enforcement is - Your life can change in a heartbeat, often in devastating fashion. Such was the case on Sunday, June 18, 2023 - which just happened to be Father's Day.

My wife, Linda, and I were at home in Errol, New Hampshire that morning while a 2-man crew from Brad's Tree Service were grinding stumps in our front yard. All Hell broke loose as Brad Montague ran to our front door yelling, "Call 911. Call 911!".

The next thing I saw was Brad's worker, young Damien Merchant, lying motionless next to our driveway. I raced to Damien's side as Linda called for an ambulance - and as Brad had wisely requested - a lifeflight helicopter. Damien had accidently walked past the stump grinder too closely, and the grinding wheel had latched onto his lower-left leg. The damage to his leg was profound.

The "lesser" damage had been done to Damien's lower-left knee. There was a very-deep laceration, and the bones were visible. But the massive damage was to the lower leg itself. A stump grinder is not a cutting machine. It is designed to destroy tree stumps.

The stump grinder had done its work, but not on its intended target. The machine had broken both lower-leg bones and literally shredded the soft tissue. Brad and I wrapped a towel around the major wound, and the bleeding (thankfully) stopped quickly. Doing no further harm is always the goal with the victim of a destructive accident, so we kept Damien still and as calm as could be expected.

Help arrived quickly in the form of the Errol Rescue Squad. They were a welcome sight and performed their job with meticulous skill. After stabilizing his leg, the crew lifted Damien iuto the ambulance and transported him to the hospital in Colebrook - awaiting the arrival of the helicopter which was to transport Damien to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire - where he remains eight days after the tragic accident

The initial analysis on Damien's condition was that he may lose his left leg. But the medical team at Dartmouth-Hitchcock reasoned that the leg could be saved but many surgeries would be needed to restore the limb to near-total viability.

After a recent birthday, Damien Merchant is now 19. The lessons are vivid. This incident could very-well have been fatal. He could have lost a limb. Your life can change in a heartbeat, often with devastating results. Your brain is your best weapon for survival. Being aware of your surroundings is paramount. But I can not overstate the bravery of this young man in such a state of intense pain, gut-wrenching fear and worry over his future.

I have instituted a GoFundMe fundraiser for Damien and his grandmother to help with medical-and-living expenses. The goal is $10,000.00, and within only one day more than $1,600.00 has been raised. Please think about donating if you are able to do so. You can find the link below:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/giving-damien-a-chance-at-a-decent-life

The Elm Street Nightmare

A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.) Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube Elm Street surfaces on six (6) occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He resided on Elm Street in Townsend, Massachusetts 2.) He kidnapped a woman at gunpoint on Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) That kidnapped woman fled to the Gillogly residence on Elm Street after escaping from the armed fugitive, Laplante. 4.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 5.) He was tried, convicted and sentenced for the murders at Superior Court , corner of Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. 6.) The author, Thomas Lane, lived on Elm Steet, Pepperell, Massachusetts while a police Sgt./Lt. for the t...

A sorrowful farewell to Kitty's Restaurant (North Reading, MA) as a family tradition

Time to say "Goodbye" to Kitty's Restaurant - my family's destination and tradition for six generations and more than 80 years. My memories of Kitty's go back to the early-1950's . I would accompany my dad and grandfather on fishing trips to the Ipswich River in North Reading, Massachusetts - followed by a visit to the restaurant on Main Street. In later years, my wife, Linda, and I would eat there with our two kids, Marc and Lisa - and years later - with our two grand daughters - and still later - with our great grandson, Carson. Author and family at Kitty's approx. 10 years ago Kitty's never disappointed. The drinks were big and well-made . The food was terrific - as were the portions. The service was exceptional and we became well-acquainted with the waiters and waitresses. It all worked so very well for many decades. My grand daughter, Courtney , was particularly fond of the restaurant. She was born with cystic fibrosis , and during her fr...

Wemby versus Kareem as rookies

We already know that the Spurs Victor Wembanyama is going to be an NBA phenomenon, but will he surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by the end of his career. It is highly likely. I did a "per-36-minutes" comparison between the two stars, mainly because Kareem logged 43.1 MPG in his rookie campaign - while Wemby has been held to only 29.4 MPG. Kareem: 24.1 PPG - 12.1 RPG - 3.4 APG - .518 FG - .653 FT Wemby: 25.9 PPG - 12.9 RPG - 4.5 APG - .463 FG - .796 FT No blocks, steals or 3-pointers were looked at since they were not tracked in Jabbar's first year in the NBA. It should also be noted that Kareem was 22 years old at the time, while Victor started at age 20. Two factors favoring Wembanyama ultimately surpassing Jabbar on any "Best-of-All-Time" charts are his point guard skills , shared by so many European players. and the fact he is being mentored by Gregg Popovich. His potential seems astounding. But the question remains. Can he garner six Titles and six MVP ...

Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

Search This Blog