Man Pulled From Debris Shows Signs of Recovery
Buck Helm, the motorist pulled from the rubble of the Nimitz Freeway four days after Northern California’s earthquake, showed significant medical improvement and was on his “way out of the woods,” doctors said today.
Helm, 57, suffered three broken ribs, a crushed leg and other injuries when the double-decker highway collapsed in the quake Tuesday, trapping him in his car.
Dr. Floyd Huen, medical director at Highland Hospital, told a news conference that Helm’s kidney function had returned and he was able--by writing on a tablet--to tell doctors he was no longer in pain.
Helm’s condition was changed from critical to very serious, and he was described as more alert. Huen said no further dialysis treatment is planned for the patient.
“In the next 24 to 48 hours, if he continues as he is, he will be out of the woods,” Huen said.
He said Helm would remain in an intensive care unit because he still requires the help of breathing apparatus.
“A chest injury continues to be the main risk,” Huen said.
Doctors said they planned to start feeding liquid, either water of Kool-Aid, into Helm’s stomach.
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