Gravel road condition blamed on wife’s accident

To the Editor,

   On Wednesday, Jan. 18, I was at work hauling milk on a route north of Sherrill, Iowa, when I received a call from my son, Joe. He proceeded to inform me that he had come home from work to find his mother and my wife, Becky, laying in the ditch on 200^th Avenue alongside our UTV. He went on to say that she was barely conscious and her right leg was badly injured and that he had called 911 for help.

   The next call I received was that EMS was on scene and taking her to St. Luke’s in Cedar Rapids.

   I called my employer to see if he could take over for me so I could get to the hospital as soon as possible. He gladly did so I could get back to my personal vehicle.

   When I was on my way to Cedar Rapids, I received a call that they were transferring her to the University of Iowa. When I got to her bedside, the trauma doctors were evaluating what to do with her leg. They came up with the plan and she went into a two-hour surgery with two hours of post-recovery. Everything looks like a full recovery with a lot of therapy.

   I am writing this letter because I feel that the state of the gravel roads has a lot to do with this incident. I am a lifelong resident of Jones County and feel that the condition of our gravel roads have been really deteriorating over the last few years. There were several ruts on the north side of the hill between our farm and our son’s acreage where she was heading with our UTV. When I received the mail on Jan. 19, the Monticello Express had an article on page A-5, “Board of Supervisors: Investment in county shops pays off.”

   Maybe more of our tax money should be used to help keep Jones County gravel roads in better condition. This letter may seem personal to me, and it is; but how would you feel if it was your family member laying in a cold, snowy ditch for over an hour and a half? It would be personal to you, too.

   I would also like to thank the Monticello EMS, Jones County Sheriff’s Department, St. Luke’s in Cedar Rapids, and the U of Iowa for all of the wonderful care given to my wife, Becky, and our family.

Respectfully,

Jones County taxpayer

Jeffery J. Bader

Monticello, Iowa