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Message started by rosswood on 02/19/6 at 18:45:17

Title: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by rosswood on 02/19/6 at 18:45:17

Bryn Epp just called to say he just heard from Jarsolav.

Both Jaroslov and Tom will be alright. They will be staying in Kingston for some days while the doctors monitor Tom's eyes.

Jaroslav wants to thank everyone who helped them and for how everyone handled the situation.

Ross

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by mikec on 02/19/6 at 20:04:25

Good to hear. Best wishes to them both!

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by Ben on 02/19/6 at 21:10:45

Its good that both of them being alright.
The location at the accident was so slippy and all icy.
Hope they will recover soon.

BenLam

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by fuzzy on 02/20/6 at 15:23:45

Best wishes to both and a speedy recovery for Tom.

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by nfavit on 02/20/6 at 21:28:04

TOM & JAROSLAV

Hope you both get well soon

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by RallyJake on 02/23/6 at 22:11:44

Sorry to hear about the incident.
Speedy recovery to both of you.

Jake & Peter

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by suprf1y on 02/24/6 at 17:24:05

What happened?
I don't come here too often, so I'm not up to speed.
I met Jaroslav at the rallycross' last year, and hung out with him a bit. Hes a super nice guy, and was very helpful.
I wish him the best.

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by rosswood on 02/24/6 at 22:30:20

In the OWR last weekend they got hooked into a snowbank and hit a tree just hard enough to trigger the airbags. Their injuries were from the airbags.

Jaroslav suffered a cut lip and some bruising.

Tom suffered eye injuries. He is back home now. They predict that his right eye will be fine. Only time will tell if his left eye will have permanent damage.

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by rosswood on 03/02/6 at 21:09:43

Today I returned Jaroslav's car to him. He declared that it is for sale and any interested parties should contact him at cigjaroslav@sympatico.ca

Jaroslav is doing very well and pretty much looks normal again.

He showed a recent picture of Tom. Although still bearing battle scars, Tom is looking and feeling much better. His spirits are excellent, all things considered. He right eye is doing fairly well. The left has some vision , but limited at this point. It is still a waiting game.

Both Tom & Jaroslav than everyone for their support and thoughts.

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by Nikola on 03/02/6 at 22:03:04

Sorry if this is insensitive, but to better understand the danger & risk in these events: what exactly happened? I understand injuries were brought by AirBags, but what does that mean? Did they wear glasses which were smashed by the airbag? Or was debree from the impact caught in between? Or was the lone impact from the airbag the cause of the troubles? :-[

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by rosswood on 03/03/6 at 00:00:27

They were wearing glasses, but my understanding is that the injuries were primarily from the force of the airbags going off, not necessarily because of the glasses. Airbags clearly save lives, but they also cause a lot of injuries.

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by rosswood on 03/03/6 at 14:19:46

I was just speaking with Tom and told him that he and his Dad just hit the incredible number of 500 hits with people checking on how they are doing. Tom was very touched and says he will put a message out on rally ontario within a few days. I think it is great to see that all you people have things in the right (in my view anyway) perspective and care most about your peers over other types of messages.

Tom just returned from another visit with the specialist. The doctor says he sees progress and has taken Tom off the drops in the right eye. Once the effects of the drops wear off within a week, they will know exactly what Tom has to deal with, but they expect that with a new prescription, Tom will have normal vision in that eye.

Tom is especially pleased because the doctor told him that for the first time in two weeks he can lie down now and can now resume light physical activity. He is looking forward to a proper sleep in his bed.

As for the left eye it is still way too soon for any prognosis.

Since Tom cannot see well enough yet to read anything, he still cannot use his computer, but will have his wife, Stina, help him send out a message.

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by BO_ 240 on 03/04/6 at 08:55:37

From The Skowronnek's
Cathrine /Stefan &Bo

We Wish Tom and Jaroslav a Speedy recovery.Get Well
Soon

Cathrine lost Her Dad in November due to Airbag impact , that bruised the Heart and caused internal
Injuries. It was only a minor rear end tag at Stop light.
Something to think about !!!

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by Jaak on 03/04/6 at 18:57:04

A week ago we were sitting in our old Audi at a stoplight in Orleans and were rear ended. No airbags in vehicle. Headrests were a Godsend. $5,000 damage. I'm very sorry to hear about your loss. It sends shivers through me.

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by jaroslav on 03/06/6 at 16:44:50

Hello to all in the rally community!
I won't bore you with the details of the last two
weeks (they have been documented elsewhere) with the
exception that things are slowly getting better.

First off, I would like to thank my family for their
love, support and assistance.

I would also like to thank Richard Hepburn and Francis
Richard for their help and assistance at the OWR. They
were the first car to stop and ask if we needed help.
It was greatly appreciated by both my dad and myself
and will not be forgotten.

Many other competitors stopped to ask if we needed
help, many of whom I do not know. Two of the voices I
recognized were Peter Pollard and Robinson Kelly. To
all of you that offered assistance at the scene, I am
very grateful.

I would also like to thank Bryn Epp for all of his
help at the Quinte Health Center in Bancroft and to
Ross Wood for his help over the last two weeks.

This has been a difficult time for all of us, however
hearing that so many people are concerned and
interested has been very uplifting. Hopefully I will
be able to get together with many of you in the near
future. Thank you for all your emails and phone calls.

See you soon,
Tom Bartman

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by Jeannie on 03/07/6 at 16:09:40

We heard about the incident through one of the organizers, so many in the Ottawa area have been concerned over Tom and Jaroslav as well. I'm glad to hear that Tom can at last get a good night's sleep. It is dreadful to contemplate what he has had to endure.

We may be a distance away, but you are definitely in our minds. Take care and best wishes for a speedy recovery, Tom!

Jeannie and Jim

Title: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by rosswood on 03/11/6 at 12:30:20

Update from Tom - March 11 06

Tom had another appointment with the eye specialist yesterday and with the optometrist. There is improvement, but it is very gradual. Tom still must remain basically inactive, which is pretty boring, especially since he can't read yet.

The optometrist has tested Tom's right eye and has determined a new prescription. New glasses have been ordered, but will take up to two weeks to arrive, since they will require a more complex than usual process to prepare.

On the way home from the hospital yesterday Tom visited his work and was treated to lunch, which was a nice break.

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by knaztech on 03/13/6 at 09:59:06

Jaroslav and Tom,

It is nice to hear that both of you are in good spirits and are recovering well. It was a shock for Nathan and I to see Jaroslav at the crash site but we were glad to see that very competant assistance was already available.

Here's to a speedy and complete recovery and we look forward to seeing you guys soon.

Ken Nazeer.

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by tbartman on 03/28/6 at 18:45:28

Hi all,

I have been asked to give an update, since I actually have some news to give.

Today was my first day back at work, albeit only a half day. I will be working half days this week, and I hope to be back up to full time next week. This has been a long five weeks to be stuck at home, under orders to maintain very limited movement, and finally being able to move around and start driving again (don't worry - I only drive on the sidewalks) was a great relief.

The impact of the airbag caused alot of bleeding in the front and the back of my eyes. The right eye has healed, and with correct glasses I have 100% vision with that eye.
The left eye is proving to be a bit more stubborn. At this time there is still quite a lot of blood at the back of the left eye which will hopefully absorb itself back into my body over the next two to three months. If that does not happen, then there will be the potential of having surgery to solve the problem. That is something that we will deal with if it comes up. Currently the vision out of the left eye is minimal, however there has been improvement since the accident, and so I am optimistic that things will go well.
The broken nose and left orbital bone are healing as per normal, and some say I am more handsome now than before:)

There has been some discussion about disabling of airbags. I don't really know what the right response to that is, other than to say that in most cases, and at most speeds the airbag will probably save your life. Even with the difficulties that I have with my vision, the potentialy worse alternative is not appealing.

To all the people that sent their best wishes via this forum, my work and home e-mail addresses, phone calls and word of mouth, I thank you for all the support - it was very appreciated.

Hope to see you soon.

Tom Bartman

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by rosswood on 04/04/6 at 15:14:03

Tom had to go in for surgery yesterday for a detached retina. The operation went well. Now Tom's eye is filled with a gas bubble while the laser surgery heals.

He is back at home and has to keep his head face down for about two weeks. He has fashioned a stand out of a foot stool with a special cushion to support his face. He asked me to post something about his progress, as he cannot work at the computer.

Next Wednesday Tom goes back for a checkup.

Ross

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by Nikola on 04/07/6 at 00:09:50

Silly question perhaps, but would he want some audio-books?

If he has an MP3 player, I have all kinds of fiction (from Lord of the Rings onward:) ), to non-fiction (French & German instruction, etc).

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by jaroslav on 04/07/6 at 09:09:21

Nikola wrote on 04/07/6 at 00:09:50:

Thanks for a very sensible question and your offer. Tom has a portable DVD player to watch films on and he is able to read books with his right eye for periods of time. He very much appreciates your concern.

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by tbartman on 05/11/6 at 13:42:18

I have received a number of requests for updates on my condition. Five and a half weeks ago (April 3, 2006) I had eye surgery to repair a detached retina in my left eye that came about as a result of the incident at the OWR. The recovery time from the surgery was 10 days, ensuring that I was facing the ground 24 hours per day to allow the gas bubble that was inserted into my eye to provide the correct pressure on the back of the eye so that the retina would re-attach properly. This was incredibly unpleasant, however the surgeons were very pleased with the healing. I still have another 2 to three weeks until the gas bubble is gone from my eye, during which time the gas creates really weird reflections as light enters my eye. However, based on the vision that I already have regained I am confident that once all of this is over that I will have regained most of the vision that I had before the accident. If you have any questions or want all the gory details then let me know and I will be happy to tell my tale.

Regards,
Tom

Title: Re: TOM & JAROSLAV
Post by RyanHuber on 05/11/6 at 17:26:10

Tom, that's great news! So glad to hear things are starting to slowly get back to normal, even if you are seeing six of everything still ;)