TRAVERSE CITY — “We heard it was a partial amputee, and when you have an amputee, they tend to bleed out,” said MSP trooper Eric O’shea.
A Florida man is at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City after an emergency rescue by Michigan State Police saved his life.
That man is now in stable condition after having three surgeries.
Thomas Sundquist was visiting Northern Michigan from Port Charlotte Florida for a 20-year family reunion when he decided to jump off a rope swing into the Manistee River without realizing it was only about one foot deep.
“I found a rope swing that looked pretty safe and had a handle on it. So, I went up and I grabbed on, and I was like, okay, it feels pretty safe,” said Sundquist.
What happened next would change Sundquist life forever.
“And next thing I knew, I was in the shallow water and my foot wasn’t really where it was supposed to be anymore.”
It gets worse.
“All I saw was it’s not there, and bone and white meat, my foot was off to the side,” said Sundquist. “My first thought was that my foot was completely gone. I tried grabbing it and then I realized I couldn’t grab it; I couldn’t reach it, I noticed it was still attached, but barely. And then I screamed for help.”
While screaming, he realized time was not on his side
“I saw the blood gushing out, so I knew I didn’t have a lot of time,” said Sundquist.
Someone in the distance heard his cries for help.
“This random family came, and it turns out his name is Matt. He was a military trauma trained person, so he jumped right into action,” said Sundquist.
The good samaritan was able to stabilize the leg with a tourniquet and call for the emergency response team.
But when you’re in the woods, rescue has more obstacles.
“I could hear the sirens, so I felt good. My uncle Dean flew over to the dock, picked them up in the catamaran and brought them back to me. Basically, they lifted me up like a whale using towels underneath me and picked me up to get me on the boat,” said Sundquist.
After that they began life saving measures.
“They drilled into my shin to the bone marrow and then they put the antibiotics into that,” said Sundquist.
After Sundquist made it to the hospital, he heard the words no one ever wants to hear from a surgeon.
“I’m going to be upfront with you. You’re going to probably lose it, I don’t know if I can save it. But I’m going to do everything in my power. ”
As of now Sundquist still has his right foot.
He’s in good spirits while he waits the next eight weeks to see if he can keep it.
Doctors aren’t sure if the reattachment will take but they are hopeful. The other leg suffered breaks too and was also operated on.
Sundquist is continuing physical therapy until he can go home, which may be next week.