Keegan Burnett critically injured - now recovered

[theczar]

Stories like this are one of the many reasons I choose to wear a helmet...I'm not trying to push the subject but I think they are a very good idea. Most vaulters I know don't wear them only because of the fact that they might "not look cool", but I think people should just get over the "not cool" factor and think about their safety. I've been vaulting for 5 years now, wearing a helmet for just about every jump I've taken, and have only needed it once (thankfully). But this shows that it only takes one time...and you could be in a world of hurt.

Keep us posted....Keegan is in our prayers.

[SKOT]

During warm ups for the Weber State Twilight meet on Wednesday, May 2nd 2007, Idaho State vaulter Keegan Burnett blew through a pole, rolled off the back of the pit and struck his head on exposed concrete behind the pit.

[/b]

Just a reminder that it is never too much to ask a facility to cover up ALL exposed hard surfaces. It is an NCAA and NFHS rule (and would assume it is an IAAF rule as well). Like theczar just said, it only takes one incident and it can end EVEN WORSE than it did for Keegan.

[rainbowgirl28]

During warm ups for the Weber State Twilight meet on Wednesday, May 2nd 2007, Idaho State vaulter Keegan Burnett blew through a pole, rolled off the back of the pit and struck his head on exposed concrete behind the pit.

[/b]

Just a reminder that it is never too much to ask a facility to cover up ALL exposed hard surfaces. It is an NCAA and NFHS rule (and would assume it is an IAAF rule as well). Like theczar just said, it only takes one incident and it can end EVEN WORSE than it did for Keegan.

I am pretty sure it's actually not an NCAA rule, only NFHS.

I am not 100% sure it was actually concrete behind the pit, it may have been hard dirt. I have conflicting reports, and I have not been there myself. Either way, it is definitely an awfully hard surface to whack your head on.

[rainbowgirl28]

7 May 08, 2007 at 10:29 AM PDT
Hello Everyone,

Keegan is about the same today as he was yesterday. The neurologist said yesterday that even though they have had to give him the meds more frequently, at least they are working and he is looking at that in a positive vein. One change I noticed this morning is that his heart rate is down again. A couple of days ago I posted that it was 42. Well yesterday it had gone up to 82. They explained that the brain is asking the heart for more blood so the heart speeds up. But this morning it is down to 50. That made us feel better.

This is day 6. The doctor had said that it could be 5-7 days before this thing peaked, so we are all really hopeful that within the next day or so, his need for the medication will start to decline. I told Keegan this morning that today is my birthday so this would be a great day to turn the corner and start getting better. That was when we went in first thing this morning. When we went back the nurse presented me with a piece of birthday cake with a little happy birthday pick in it and a card signed by all the staff in the CCU. Like I said before, this is the nicest place with the nicest people.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for Keegan. I know it's helping him so please keep it up.

Alice & Rick

[vaultermom]

This is Keegan's mom. I just wanted to confirm that it is concrete all around the pit. Campus police measured it at 20 inches behind the pit, I think it is less than that on the sides. But it is still concrete on all three sides. It does have a very thin covering of rubber on it. They did have a small yellow mat, narrower than the pit itself, behind the mat. But of course, Keegan had to land next to it instead of on it.

Thank you all for your concern and prayers. Hopefully he will be back with you all soon. I can't say I will be thrilled to see him vault again, but I know how he loves it and it won't be the first time he's made me nervous.

Please continue to keep him in your thoughts. I know it's helping him.

[rainbowgirl28]

This is another photo by my friend Beckie Rosillo.



Keegan at the Tacoma Beach Vault last summer.

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2007/0 ... m01_sh.txt

Vaulter injured in fall

By Alex Paul
Albany Democrat-Herald



Keegan Burnett, 23, a former Sweet Home High School pole vaulter, remains in the Intensive Care Unit at McKay-Dee Hospital Center in Ogden, Utah after a May 2 vaulting accident during a Twilight Meet at Weber State University.

Burnett, a member of the Idaho State University Bengals track and field team, flipped backwards off the pole vault landing mat. The university’s vaulting pit was covered with padding to regulation lengths, but Burnett’s head struck a portion of exposed concrete on the perimeter of the pit.

According to an Idaho State press release, Burnett was unconscious for 10 to 15 minutes after the accident and was taken to the hospital, which is near the athletic facility.

Burnett’s parents, Rick and Alice of Sweet Home, rushed to Ogden and have been with their son since the accident.

“He’s holding his own right now,â€Â

[rainbowgirl28]

8 May 09, 2007 at 09:58 AM PDT
Hello everyone,
Well today is basically a repeat of yesterday. He is about the same. He did have a period of time yesterday when he required quite a bit less medication, but that changed during the night and is still continuing. They said that is how it goes with head injuries. Recovery is an up and down process. It usually does not proceed smoothly.

One thing I am getting a little pleasure out of is being able to mess with his computer. He's always using my computer when he comes home and he changes all the settings to suit himself and then leaves. So now I have his laptop and I'm having fun. It's payback time!

That's about all I have for today. Talk to you tomorrow.

Alice

[rainbowgirl28]

9 May 10, 2007 at 08:24 AM PDT
Good Morning,

Keegan took a turn for the worse last evening. The brain pressure they had been trying to keep under 20 shot up to 60. At that point the doctor did another CT scan and saw that the brain was strarting to shift in his head and put pressure on the brain stem. They immediately took him into surgery and removed a portion of his skull. He was then able to remove the blood that had accumulated there and a small bit of brain tissue. They left the piece of skull off and stitched the skin back into place. He said they plan to leave that piece of skull off for at least a week, maybe two weeks.

This morning they did another CT scan and the doctor said everything looks real good. Keegan did well through the night. They expect a little more swelling of the brain in response to the surgery, but that should only last two or three days. Hopefully after that we can start down the other side of this thing.

That's all for today.

Alice

[rainbowgirl28]

10 May 11, 2007 at 09:55 AM PDT
Hi Everyone,
We just talked with the ICU doctor and Keegan is doing well. He has only needed a couple of doses of Manitol in the last 24 hours to control the pressure in his brain. When he is not needing that drug at all, then they will start to lighten up on the sedation. They think that may be in the next day or two.
What has changed in the past 24 hours is his appearance. Before the surgery he looked like he was just lying there sleeping. Since the surgery the right side of his face has swollen up. For those of you familiar with the Rocky movies, Rick says Keegan reminds him of that Rocky movie where Rocky's eye was so swollen he told his trainers to cut it so he could keep fighting. Not a pretty site. Keegan isn't black and blue yet but I'm sure that is coming. He's also very puffy from all the fluid they are pumping into him. It's strange to see that bony frame starting to turn into the Pillsbury Dough Boy.
There's always the worry of things like blood clots and pneumonia when someone is in this state for any length of time. But the staff is doing everything they can to prevent that. Just some of the things we have seen them do are making him cough every two hours, swabbing his mouth out every two hours with antibacterial stuff to keep the bacteria down (that also helps prevent pneumonia), and every couple of days they do an ultrsound to make sure he isn't developing blood clots.
We have something to look forward to today. McKenna and Shaina are flying in this evening and staying until Sunday evening. Nisha got them tickets so we could all spend Mothers Day together. That is going to be so wonderful! Thank you Nisha.
That's all for now.

Alice

[rainbowgirl28]

11 May 11, 2007 at 10:39 PM PDT
Hi Everyone,
This is a special edition of the "Burnett Times". We are staying in a motel tonight with the girls and we have a wi-fi connection.

First, Keegan has done well all day. They lightened up on the medication a little and plan to lighten up more tomorrow. He has been so sedated for so long that they anticipate if could take a while to get it all out of his system. But he did move his eyebrows today and he has coughed a few times on his own. They will continue to monitor the brain pressure as this goes to make sure it doesn't go up again.

We also wanted to take this time to congratulate the Idaho State athletes who have already competed in the Big Sky Championships. Especially Emmy, Kasie, Katie & Nicole, the girl vaulters. You guys did great! And Nathan Capps - Gold Medal in the decathlon - way to go! Brian Bartow from Portland State - 2nd place in the decathlon! Whoopee! Brian was Keegan's roommate in Eugene. I know he was looking forward to seeing you this week. ISU men vaulters - we will be thinking of you at 1:30 tomorrow. Good Luck!

That's all for tonight.

Alice & Rick

[rainbowgirl28]

12 May 13, 2007 at 10:24 AM PDT
Hello Everyone,
Keegan is continuing to improve. He was on 3 different sedatives and they have eliminated one (the long lasting one) and cut back on the other two. He is moving a little bit more (especially when they clean out him mouth), he coughs a lot more and is coughing up buckets of stuff, according to the nurses. They have turned the ventilator down a little so he is doing more of the work himself when he breathes. When they tried that yesterday his pressures went up a little so they turned the ventilator back up, but today when they did it he was fine. The swelling in his face and side of his head from the surgury is gone and he looks like himself again. And he didn't turn black and blue. It seems like some of the puffiness has gone down also. When I hold his hand the skin doesn't feel as tight as it did.
I counted the bags and bottles of medication on the IV poles (of which there are 5) behind his bed and there are only about 6 things there now. There was more than a dozen.
Sorry I didn't post anything yesterday. We did a little site seeing with the girls and stayed at the Hampton Inn in downtown Ogden last night. It is soooo nice. It's in an old historic 8 story building but there's nothing old about the inside. And they have the nicest bed I have ever slept in at a hotel. I felt like I was at home.
Congratulations to ISU girls track team. They won the Big Sky Championships for the first time in school history. Keegan will be so proud of all of you when he wakes up. We're anxious to know how the boys did in the pole vault. We haven't been able to pull up any results from yesterday. Keegan is going to be really disappointed when he realizes he missed the whole event. It's going to be hard to tell him that.
We're taking the girls back to the airport later this afternoon. It's going to be hard to see them go but it has been so nice having them here.
Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there. Talk to you later.

Alice & Rick