It was a sunny and cold February morning in Tallahassee when a routine motorcycle ride changed everything. Dan Bulecza was just over a mile away from his rural home as he approached an intersection.
Coming from the opposite side, a van stopped at the intersection – without spotting Dan – and continued on. Within an instant, Dan had no time to avoid the van and collided into the side before being ejected from his motorcycle.
Two witnesses, including a nurse and a paramedic, stopped their vehicles and ran over to the scene.
The motorcycle, covered in spilled gasoline, had caught fire. Dan who was unresponsive and happened to be on the outside of the blaze, was pulled by those bystanders and carried to safety.
Within minutes, an emergency response team was on site and transported Dan to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.
His wife, Susan Bulecza, who was at home with their son during the time of the accident, received the call of what had happened. She contacted immediate family, gathered belongings and headed to the hospital with their son.
Upon her arrival, Susan – who has previous experience in trauma care – was taken to the emergency department to see her husband briefly. He was then transferred to the Neuro Intensive Care Unit (Neuro-ICU).
For the first time in the history of TMH, Dan was the first patient, whose injuries were so severe, that it required two nurses instead of the hospital standard of one nurse per patient in this area.
During his month-long stay at Tallahassee Memorial, Dan would have no memory of his treatment or care, however his family says its something they will never forget.
Dan’s care team – including Hank Hutchinson, MD, Orthopedic Surgery, Christopher Rumana, MD, Neurological Surgery, Frank Greidler, MD, Cardiology and many more – cared for him through countless surgeries and treatments for a traumatic brain injury, broken ribs, collapsed lungs and complex extremity fractures.
“We have nothing but good things to say about TMH,” said Dan. “We truly believe I am alive because of the level of expertise and care provided by my physicians, nurses and others.”
Following his initial treatment, Dan was transferred to a rehabilitation center in Jacksonville, where he would receive continuous care for another month and be close to his other son and daughter-in-law who lived just minutes away. Dan continued his outpatient therapy at the TMH Neuro Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic for another six months.
Now back in Tallahassee and able to walk and use his arms, although he has some restriction, Dan spends his days adjusting to this “new normal” and most importantly cherishing the moments he has with his family. Dan enjoys working at his church, Good Shepherd, volunteering with his Masonic organizations and watching sports, including NASCAR.
With a strong medical team and family support system by his side, Dan continues to push himself everyday and live life to the absolute fullest.
