Article about kiting accident.
Brings it home the risks on kiting.
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/local_news/article/0,2545,TCP_16736_5213929,00.html
TEQUESTA — Conner Kempe stretched his 6-foot, 4-inch frame, and smiled. He was relaxed Thursday in his family's home.
The only sign of the kiteboarding accident on Nov. 26 are two casts on his legs, one to keep him from flexing the hairline fracture in his right kneecap and the other to help repair the hairline fracture in his left ankle. He said he hopes to have the kneecap cast removed next week. He'll be trading a wheelchair for crutches.
"I'm feeling fine," said the junior quarterback at The Benjamin School, his face showing no signs of bruises, swelling and lacerations that came from being dragged by a freak blast of wind off Jupiter Beach and into a neighboring residential area.
"I don't remember much of the crash, but I do remember trying to pull the release handle, and feeling some nervousness as this wind was carrying me up. I've been kiteboarding over a year and I've never seen a wind this high," he said.
"God was certainly there with me that day, and I'm grateful to the paramedics on the scene for what they did to help me."
At one point, Conner received the last rites from a priest at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach. Later, doctors were surprised at his turnaround and physical recovery.
His father, Joseph Kempe, said that when Conner's quarterback coach, Ryan Smith, came to St. Mary's just hours after the accident, "we shared some tears."
"There was a lot of bargaining with God with this, and let's say that I made some commitments at that time, and they won't be broken. . . . I'll stay true to my commitments," Joseph Kempe said. "This was truly a miracle."
Conner Kempe said he has no recollection of the first hours after the accident.
But the first time he realized what was happening around him was Tuesday morning, after the ventilation tubes were removed on Monday night.
"I was unconscious, and I remember waking up, wondering where I was," he said. "I looked up and asked 'why does my head hurt?'
Technorati Tags: kiteboarding
http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/local_news/article/0,2545,TCP_16736_5213929,00.html
TEQUESTA — Conner Kempe stretched his 6-foot, 4-inch frame, and smiled. He was relaxed Thursday in his family's home.
The only sign of the kiteboarding accident on Nov. 26 are two casts on his legs, one to keep him from flexing the hairline fracture in his right kneecap and the other to help repair the hairline fracture in his left ankle. He said he hopes to have the kneecap cast removed next week. He'll be trading a wheelchair for crutches.
"I'm feeling fine," said the junior quarterback at The Benjamin School, his face showing no signs of bruises, swelling and lacerations that came from being dragged by a freak blast of wind off Jupiter Beach and into a neighboring residential area.
"I don't remember much of the crash, but I do remember trying to pull the release handle, and feeling some nervousness as this wind was carrying me up. I've been kiteboarding over a year and I've never seen a wind this high," he said.
"God was certainly there with me that day, and I'm grateful to the paramedics on the scene for what they did to help me."
At one point, Conner received the last rites from a priest at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach. Later, doctors were surprised at his turnaround and physical recovery.
His father, Joseph Kempe, said that when Conner's quarterback coach, Ryan Smith, came to St. Mary's just hours after the accident, "we shared some tears."
"There was a lot of bargaining with God with this, and let's say that I made some commitments at that time, and they won't be broken. . . . I'll stay true to my commitments," Joseph Kempe said. "This was truly a miracle."
Conner Kempe said he has no recollection of the first hours after the accident.
But the first time he realized what was happening around him was Tuesday morning, after the ventilation tubes were removed on Monday night.
"I was unconscious, and I remember waking up, wondering where I was," he said. "I looked up and asked 'why does my head hurt?'
Technorati Tags: kiteboarding
posted by GD at 5:17 PM
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