Iowa man recovering from bad fall while decorating church
FOREST CITY, Iowa (AP) - An Iowa man is still recovering from the injuries he sustained in a serious fall while decorating Immanuel Lutheran Church in Forest City for Christmas.
The Mason City Globe Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/1C8pZHW ) Mark Newcom fell roughly 35 feet when a lift he was using to hand garland and replace light bulbs tipped over on Dec. 5.
Newcom's fall broke all the ribs on his left side and he suffered a collapsed lung and broke his neck, elbow and sacral bone. He was taken to the Mayo Clinic for treatment and endured five surgeries over 12 days there.
Now he is easing back into his daily routine of teaching at Waldorf College. Newcom said he's grateful for all the help he has received.
"The fall itself has been terrible, but yet the support of the community has just been overwhelming," he said. "It's great to live in a small town, and the support of the college, church and community has just been wonderful."
When the accident happened Newcom was changing a light bulb in the sanctuary while standing atop a lift, just as he'd done several times before.
"I started to feel it wiggle a little bit and in really slow (motion) I felt like it was falling backwards," Newcom said. "From that moment on it was a beautiful, euphoric free fall."
Newcom remembers a beautiful view of the church before a feeling of panic took hold just before impact.
In addition to broken bones, Newcom sustained a puncture wound that led to significant blood loss.
So Newcom is grateful congregation president Andy Buffington happened to be in the building when he fell because Buffington is emergency management coordinator for Winnebago and Hancock counties. Buffington helped stabilize Newcom and call for help.
Newcom and his wife, Joy, are grateful his injuries weren't even worse. Now he has to take things slow as he recovers.
Newcom has to wear a cervical collar for another month, and his ribs are still healing. But he has been able to resume teaching three days a week.
"My brain says 'let's go, let's get something done,' but my body's not ready for it," Newcom said.
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Information from: Globe Gazette, http://www.globegazette.com/