Consumer Report
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Creating Community by Connecting Neighbors
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 1 Thess 5:11
Hands On Auto Tech, the Accident that Took His Leg, and the Aftermath By Kelly Fordyce Martindale and Thomas Maggio
What do you expect from a Veteran and firefighter? Only the best, correct?! I’ve been a customer of Hands On Auto Tech and I’ve referred others because they provide a high-quality service with honest assessments about my vehicle repair needs. In working with Thomas Maggio, the owner, I’ve known him to consistently deliver exceptional customer service and provide what he promises. I wouldn’t expect anything less from a Veteran and firefighter. He’s also a family man with his wife, Laura, and three daughters. He’s a role model for them, others who work with him, and those of us who’ve watched him persevere over the last 7+ years. Thomas’ mechanical story started at 12-years-old when he repaired a washing machine his parents couldn’t afford to replace. His passion grew after fixing the timing belt on his first car, a 1980 Plymouth Reliant. He then worked on vehicles for three years, professionally, before joining the Air Force. In 1998, Thomas served in the US Air Force as an Aircraft Electrical and Environmental Technician on the C-5 Galaxy. He was responsible for all of the wiring, and the cabin pressurization and HVAC systems. Did you know they use pressurized air from the jet engines to heat and cool the jet interior, as well as pressurize it at high altitude? I didn’t either until Thomas shared that information. After the Air Force, he and Laura started Hands On Auto Tech, where they lived in the shop with their six-month-old, while getting the business going. So far, Thomas has more than thirty years of professional automotive repair experience. In 2015, Thomas joined the Big Elk Meadows Fire Department. He was FF1 Structure certified before his accident. He continues to train new recruits how to run the equipment including fire trucks and water tenders. He’s currently taking the Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) certification course in spite of losing his leg. But I’ll let him tell you that story. Thomas shared, “I left work around 8:00 p.m. on November 27, 2018. I was exhausted. I hadn’t eaten all day, and I hadn’t slept well in three days. As I drove west on Highway 119 toward County Road 1, I nodded off for just a brief second. I was traveling at 55 miles per hour. I woke up to sirens.
My truck looked wrong. The windshield was shattered, and the roof was collapsing inward, pinning me. When I looked down, I saw a horrifying sight where my left knee used to be. It was a bloody, unrecognizable mess. Then I passed out. When I came to again, firefighters were cutting me out of the truck. I recognized the sound immediately. I’m a firefighter myself. My leg was still bleeding badly, and there was no tourniquet yet. I tried to move, but I was trapped. The steering wheel pressed into my body. I yelled to the nearest firefighter that I needed a tourniquet. He told me they were working as fast as they could. I remember thinking that if they knew I was one of them, they’d understand I knew what I was asking. I couldn’t reach my wallet, so I kept yelling for them to look at my license plate. Finally, someone did. I heard them yell, “He’s a firefighter.” Almost immediately, someone asked what I needed. I told them again. The tourniquet arrived, and I helped guide it under what remained of my mangled upper leg. Once it was tightened, my life was saved. I passed out again. I remember flashes after that. Being loaded into the ambulance. Pain surging as the adrenaline faded. I heard discussion of amputation. I yelled, “Don’t cut off my leg.” A medic giving me medication. Darkness. Before being flown to UCHealth Aurora, the doctor said he needed to staple my head wound. He was searching for anesthesia, worried about my pain. I told him to staple me anyway. Compared to my leg, the staples didn’t matter. I woke again as I was loaded into a helicopter. Someone told me they were going to take good care of me. At UCHealth, I woke to find my leg held together by external metal rods— two in my thigh and two in my lower leg— connected by bars to keep everything stable. A wound vac drained the area where my knee had been. The doctors
explained the damage was severe and that amputation was likely. I asked them to do everything possible to save my leg. T h e surgeries began. Every few days, I was taken back to the operating room. Each wound vac c h a n g e required full surgery. Every time the wound was cleaned, it essentially reopened my wounds. Along the way, they repaired my hip socket with plates and screws and stabilized my pelvis with additional hardware. The pain was relentless. After each surgery, it worsened. At its peak, the pain reached levels where I couldn’t think or speak clearly. My wife stayed by my side, holding my hand, grounding me through the worst of it. I welcomed anesthesia because it meant temporary relief. Eventually, the doctors met to decide whether to attempt reconstruction of my knee. They warned me the process would be brutal, with little chance of success and limited mobility even if it worked. I told them I had to try. I knew I would regret giving up without a fight. On December 21, everything changed. Infection had entered my bones. One of the bacteria was lifethreatening. The decision was made for me. My leg had to be removed. Strangely, I felt relief. They started me on aggressive antibiotics that made me feel like I was dying, but when my leg was amputated on December 22, the pain was finally manageable. Phantom limb pain followed—sharp, twisting sensations where my leg used to be—but even that was less than what I had endured before. After weeks of treatment, the infection cleared. I was stitched up and released just after the new year, ending a 34-day hospital stay. I remain grateful to the nurses who cared for me during that time. Months later, I learned something devastating. During my pelvic repairs, two screws inserted by UCHealth were too long. They
extend beyond my pelvis and press into surrounding tissue, causing constant and severe pain. For six months, I was shown altered X-rays that hid this. Only after the statute of limitations expired was I shown the unmodified imaging that revealed the truth.
Removing the screws requires a dangerous and very expensive surgery. Today, I live with constant pain. Still, I show up. I come into the shop every day to make sure my customers receive the best service possible. I push forward because that’s what I know how to do. Thomas concludes with, “I only wish the hospital stood behind their work the way we stand behind ours.” Can we stand behind Thomas, his family and his business? If it’s at all possible for you to help get Thomas the surgery he requires to replace those two screws causing him excruciating pain, please click on the QR code and donate to the GoFundMe page. We’ve helped others in our community, and I hope we can help him too. Thank you.
Another way to help is to utilize his services for our vehicle repairs at Hands On Auto Tech. Their new location is at 4104 N Valley Dr., Mead CO 80504 (at I25 and 66). Their number is 720.340.4024 and you can check them out at www.handsonautotech.com.
Re-elect Virginia “Ginny” A. Buczek or Direct istrict UNITED North D
POWER
Re-elect Ginny Director of North District “I’m dedicated to our & devoting the Virginia “Ginny” A. Buczek community time & energy required to
being your knowledgeable,
Past President CREA, United Power, & Weld Council conscientious, & active director. I recognize that safe, reliable, Committed service area volunteer for 35 years cost efficient electrical 26 years Elected or Appointed Public Commitment power is essential to the 13 years Private Sector Managerial experience economic well-being & quality of life of all Priorities United Power members.” Reliable, safe and affordable service Plan to VOTE Starting March 13 Superior Member service Attend the April 15th Meeting Fiscal Responsibility Member focused On-line Voting Available
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• www.ggeqpt.com • 303-255-3227 • 3770 Eureka Way • Hwy 52 & I-25
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