We would like you to meet Zack, a young man whose life changed in an instant but whose journey of courage, perseverance, and hope continues today.
As an Eagle Scout, Zack embodies kindness, generosity, and strength of character. He is a graduate of Erie Community College with a degree in business, and as a talented auto body technician, he excels at painting cars. His greatest passion, though, was driving them. His most prized possessions were his 2001 Ford Mustang and later, a BMW 3 Series. That BMW would become his guardian angel on the night of August 13, 2022.
Zack had been having an ordinary day. After work, he celebrated a friend’s birthday at the Lancaster Speedway. From there, he was driving to meet up with some more friends when tragedy struck. A drunk driver in a full-sized pickup truck failed to yield at a stop sign and crashed directly into the driver’s side of Zack’s car. His BMW was pushed sideways into a nearby ditch while the pickup truck continued forward, landing on top of Zack’s car, crushing it further.
When first responders from Newstead Fire Company arrived, Zack was still conscious, but it was
clear he was in critical condition. They rushed to cut him from the wreckage and immediately called Mercy Flight.
Zack’s parents received the call that no parent ever wants to—the Erie County Sheriff’s Department informed them of the car accident and told them that Zack had been airlifted to Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) by Mercy Flight. He was alive, but his injuries were serious, and the road ahead was uncertain.
When Zack arrived at the hospital, he was intubated, placed on a ventilator, and sedated.
Initial efforts were focused on repairing his punctured lung and broken pelvis. Later, however, after Zack had not yet awoken from sedation, doctors discovered extensive brain damage caused by either a fat embolism from one of his many broken bones or an air embolism from his lung, which had caused multiple strokes. Zack’s doctors drilled a hole in his skull to try to relieve pressure, but eventually they were forced to remove a section of it to allow his brain to swell.
Zack’s next several months were filled with ups and downs. He spent 39 days in the trauma ICU, much of it in a coma. He endured surgeries for a trachea tube, feeding tube, and the eventual placement of a prosthetic skull. There were countless moments of fear and uncertainty. But Zack’s family never gave up hope, and neither did he.
Thanks to the critical care that Newstead Fire Company, Mercy Flight, and ECMC provided and the long road of rehabilitation that followed, Zack is making strides. He ultimately spent over five months in hospitals and rehabilitation centers and continues his recovery still today. He is speaking again, slowly, and he no longer needs a feeding tube. He attends therapy five days a week, working on regaining full use of his right arm and leg. Incredibly, Zack even plays adaptive tennis, a sport he loved since before his tragic accident.
Zack’s journey is far from over, but each day brings new reasons for hope. Without the rapid, expert interventions of Mercy Flight that night, his outcome would likely have been very different. His parents, Holly and Leo, wish to express the following:
“We are grateful for the skilled pilots, nurses, and paramedics who can handle any emergency in flight but who also rendered care and comfort during transport. While at ECMC, we saw multiple patients arrive by Mercy Flight to the hospital, and we understood what a critical role they play in saving lives. Everyone hopes they will never need them, but if you do, you want to be sure they are there.”
As we begin a new year, we ask for your support. Your donation helps Mercy Flight continue its nonprofit mission to provide lifesaving emergency care… When Minutes Matter. Zack’s story is just one of many that shows the difference we can make together.
Thank you for being a part of our mission to save lives and bring hope to families in their most challenging moments.