SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A Utah man says he was soon planning to propose to his girlfriend when he suffered life-threatening injuries in a serious motorcycle crash last week on the Wasatch Front.
Dallas Thompson, 28, told ABC4 the crash happened on Oct. 23 as he was riding home from The Movement Center in Sandy, where he coaches youth gymnastics.
“Another motorist making a left turn decided to complete the turn as the light turned red, pulling out in front of me,” Thompson said.
Thompson didn’t see the car, and his motorcycle slammed into the front passenger side of the vehicle. The collision launched Thompson roughly 30 feet into the intersection, where he slid on the roadway.
The crash left him with a broken pelvis, a fractured femur, chipped teeth, and cuts all over his legs and face, along with severe internal bleeding.
While his wounds were life-threatening, Thompson said he knows they could have been worse had he not been wearing a helmet and motorcycle jacket.
“I was very blessed to have that, because I have no neck or spine injuries,” he said.
Emergency crews brought Thompson to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray. When he regained consciousness, Thompson’s first question was: “Why is everything so bright, and where are my teeth?”
Amanda Barker, his girlfriend, said that Thompson underwent multiple surgeries, adding that at first the situation was “touch and go” and doctors wouldn’t immediately tell her if Thompson was alive.
“He was about to propose,” she said. “We were pretty much set to get married.”
After a week in the hospital, Thompson’s plans to propose haven’t changed. If anything, they’ve been accelerated.
“Situations like this remind you what’s really important,” he said. “Beforehand, I was always waiting for the perfect moment, but then I realized that there is no perfect moment when you already have the perfect person.”
While his future nuptial plans are secured, Thompson faces a long and painful road to recovery.
Barker set up a GoFundMe page to help cover some of Thompson’s medical bills and other expenses, as they’ll be living off her sole income for the near future.
So far, the fundraiser has amassed more than $7,000.
“The community has been amazing,” Barker said. “They’ve been so supportive.”
