Beacon Kalamazoo patient credits EMS, MedFlight crew, hospital team for saving his life

Todd Wright doesn’t remember most of what happened on that January morning in 2025, but he knows it should have killed him.

Driving along a familiar stretch of road just outside of Battle Creek, Michigan, he lost control of his vehicle on black ice, left the roadway and struck a tree. The impact was severe. His vehicle was heavily damaged, and Todd was trapped inside.

First responders arrived quickly and immediately recognized the seriousness of what they were facing. Todd was critically injured, heavily entrapped and bleeding.

“I broke both my femurs, 10 ribs, left clavicle, right arm, dislocated my right shoulder and had multiple head and facial fractures,” he said, quickly adding how he sustained other injuries as well.

Local fire and EMS teams began the careful work of extricating him while coordinating next steps. Todd was conscious but disoriented, struggling against pain, blood loss and the effects of shock.

As EMS stabilized him, it became clear that his injuries required a higher level of care, so air medical transport was requested to Beacon Kalamazoo, formerly Borgess Hospital.

On scene, responders managed his airway, controlled his bleeding, addressed signs of pelvic and lower extremity injuries and monitored his vitals as conditions changed. Even small details mattered, from warming his cold fingers to reassessing his circulation to watching closely for subtle shifts in his condition.

Once extricated, Todd was carried to the awaiting MedFlight helicopter and flown to Beacon Kalamazoo for continued, life saving treatment. Roadside crews, flight teams and the Beacon Kalamazoo Emergency Department worked together to save his life.

At the hospital, Cameron Vanlaningham, MD, orthopedic trauma surgeon, and Sarah Charters, MD, trauma surgeon, played pivotal roles in Todd’s emergency care.

Todd spent three weeks at Beacon Kalamazoo, including two weeks in the ICU, before transferring to Mary Free Bed in Grand Rapids for a month of inpatient rehabilitation. Beacon is affiliated with the Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Network. Todd was discharged in a wheelchair in late February and continued rehab at home, then in outpatient physical therapy through early June. He returned to work that May.

A chance to say ‘thank you’

Today, Todd knows he is alive because of the chain of care he received from the crash site through rehabilitation.

He credits the EMS professionals who showed up on one of the worst days of his life. People who met him at his most vulnerable and treated him like someone worth fighting for.  “And my wife has repeatedly stated that the trauma doctors were amazing,” he said.

Todd remembers very little of that January morning. What stands out, he said, isn’t the fear, but the people.

“I didn’t know all their names, but I knew they weren’t giving up on me,” Todd said. “Every person who touched my care that day gave me a second chance. I’m standing here because they did their jobs, and because they cared.”

Todd recently shared his experience at a special Survivors Dinner held at Beacon Kalamazoo, honoring the EMT and trauma teams that save lives.

Stories like his are about preparation, training and communication, as well as a shared commitment to do the right thing, the right way, at the right moment. The skill and dedication of these caregivers mean more stories told, more time with family, and more chances to say thank you.

“That night was priceless to us,” Todd said. “I do not remember the majority of these folks from the first time we met, but being able to thank them and spend some time getting to know them has meant the world to us.”

And for Todd, sharing his story is a way of paying that forward.

Find emergency care near you

When a medical emergency occurs for you or a loved one, Beacon is prepared to give you the help you need — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Emergency medicine professionals are available across southwest Michigan and northern Indiana. We are providing emergency care near you at these Michigan locations: Beacon Kalamazoo, Beacon Allegan, Beacon Dowagiac, Beacon Plainwell, Three Rivers Health Hospital.

Our nationally recognized trauma care is available at Beacon Kalamazoo, a Level II Trauma Center and Comprehensive Stroke Center. Advanced emergency and lifesaving care is available 24/7 for severe injuries and neurological emergencies.