Eric Truelsen
Retired High School Teacher
I live in San Jose, but often come up to Napa on weekends to visit friends.
Last May, I was riding around their property on a golf cart with my dog
in my lap. His girlfriend, a black Lab, got excited and jumped in! When
she landed on us, it pressed my foot on the accelerator, and the golf
cart flipped and squashed me like a bug. My friends Erin and Adam Simms
took me to the Queen’s Emergency Department. The doctors told me
they would need to knock me out and put me on life support, or I wouldn’t make it.
They later told me that I broke all my ribs except one; lacerated my kidneys,
spleen, and liver; and filled my lungs with fluid. I was at the Queen
for at least a month and my total recovery was about six months.
I do recall that, whenever I opened my eyes, I didn’t have to stress
or panic because there was always a nurse right there. A few years before,
I’d gone to another hospital when I had a stroke. I remember how
abandoned and neglected I felt. It wasn’t even close to this experience.
Oh, and don’t worry. The dogs are just fine.