The Short of it:
Austin Duncan was in a terrible car accident – hit head on – on April 29, 2025 and has undergone numerous surgeries to repair internal injuries, spinal surgery to repair broken vertebrae and is also dealing with broken ribs, a fractured neck, broken leg and broken foot.
He will hopefully be going home in the next week, but he has a long road of recovery that will include physical therapy and potentially more surgeries.
We have faith that he will eventually be back in shape and back to his work as an Operator with the Heavy Equipment Operator’s Union and his business as a professional farrier. He also will be excited to continue his passions that include hunting and fishing.
In the meantime, while he is recovering, we are hoping to raise funds to help Austin maintain his home and cover some of his upcoming expenses for the next year. Doctors will not release him for at least a year due to his back surgery. We’re hoping that will be the extent of his recovery time.
We hope that you will consider contributing financially (every dollar counts!!) and if you are not able to contribute financilly, we hope that you will keep Austin in your prayers – as prayers have been a constant source of comfort and hope for Austin and all of his family who love him.
If you would like to know the LONG story – please read on!
The Long Story:
On April 29, 2025, Austin Duncan had been sent home due to a rain day from his job at E & B Paving (he runs the roller) and was heading home to pick up his horseshoeing trailer and equipment. He was planning to fit in a few clients for the farrier business he had starting building since attending farrier school last year. Just a normal day for this hard working young man who was always on the go.
Many things would change that morning, but in so many instances God was showing us all that He is in control. There are so many small miracles and events that took place that kept us all focused and hopeful. By reading through Austin’s story, we hope your faith will be strengthened like ours has been.
The Wreck:
Austin’s plans were dramatically changed when another driver fell asleep at the wheel and hit him head on after crossing traffic on a four lane highway just outside of Daleville, Indiana. The other driver’s car immediately went up in flames and unfortunately that young man lost his life that day. (We were solemnly aware of this as the day went on – our news was terrible – but the other family’s news was much worse.)
There were several people who immediately stopped to help the obvious emergency and these heroes managed to pull Austin from his truck before it too was engulfed by fire. They were able to move him behind his truck and quickly realized they needed to move him again, this time farther way from the wreck due to the growing fire that was spreading quickly.
The Injuries:
First responders arrived and managed to stablize Austin, taking him to IU Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, Indiana. We found out later, if they had chosen any other hospital, the difference in distance would have been deadly. Austin was bleeding internally and had lost over of 4 liters of blood (that is over half of a normal person’s blood supply.) It was detrimental that the doctors repair this immediately before dealing with his other injuries. Thankfully, they were able to do so, leaving him with an incision from below the belt-line to his sternum.
Next it was time to deal with the broken lower back and fractured neck. An MRI showed that the lower lumbar vertebrae required another serious surgery, adding hardware to stabilize his spinal column and leaving him with a 10″ scar along his spine and plenty of titanium. His neck, thankfully, would heal with a neck collar and time. He also had several broken ribs!
Both of his spinal injuries had us concerned about the potential for paralysis. We were so thankful that he was pulled from the truck, but we also knew, that to do so, he had been moved twice with these serious injuries. However, miraculously, after waking up from the second surgery, Austin showed no signs of spinal cord injury!
First Recovery (First two weeks):
Austin was on the way to healing and was even up and walking within the first week! He was so strong and determined, pushing through the broken ribs and pain from his incisions. However, things took a turn for the worse, when a portion of his bowels began to die and ruputured after two weeks of recovery. This required an emergency surgery and a helicopter ride to level 1 trauma hospital IU Methodist in Indianapolis, Indiana.
I think I speak for the whole family when I say this was almost as scary as the initial news of the wreck. He was not in good shape when he left Muncie that day.
But again, God had his say, and this was not the end of Austin’s story.
More Surgeries and Injuries (Weeks 3-4):
Austin arrived in Indianapolis and was taken in for several surgeries over the next few days, leaving his abdomen open for flushing prior to using mesh and a wound vacuum to finally close the incision. Not ideal, but the logical next step.
Over the next week and half, we would also learn of a broken right lower leg and a broken left foot. Oh, boy! As well as the placement of four drain tubes, a feeding tube and more maintenance procedures to keep him heading in the right direction.
These doctors and the team of professionals were so proactive! They were thinking ahead of each potential downturn and putting preventative procedures in place.
The wound vacuum procedures were a necessary evil to begin stretching Austin’s abdominal wall that would eventually allow the team of surgeons to finally be able to close the incision up on Austin’s mid-section.
During this time, he was not been able to do much moving from the hospital bed and done a lot of resting. He was aslo fighting fevers and infections from the bowel rupture.
Second Recovery (Week 5):
After another two weeks, Austin was finally able to sit at the edge of his bed again and stand for a few minutes. That led up to making it to a recliner and sitting upright for an hour or so at a time. No walking still, due to the broken foot, but the fever was now under control and the infections treated with the right antibiotics.
And then, great news! They were able to close up the abdominal incision! Austin is now in hopes of going home within the next week as I write this on May 6, 2025!
The Short Term Future:
Austin will hopefully be sent home in the next week. He will still have a long road to a complete recovery, but the doctors think this will happen much faster in his home with the great support team he has available. He will still be using a wheelchair and/or a walker until the left foot heals enough to begin walking. There will be a lot of physical therapy in Austin’s future and possibly more surgeries as time goes on.
With all of the obstacles he has overcome, we have no doubt that God is not through with him yet and he will be doing big things again very soon!
And a Little More from me (Christa):
On another note for those of you who have read this far, I have to share a couple other faith nuggets.
No Surprise to God:
This is more of a personal experience that I knew was applicable to this day and that hopefully all of those who love Austin would be able to pull from.
Several years ago (at least 12-14), I woke up early one morning with a voice speaking in my ear – so close and so vivid – the words/numbers, “4:29.” It startled me and I opened my eyes to only hear the same phrase another two times before sitting up in bed and wondering what the heck had just happened.
I knew that is was specific – not four hundred twenty nine, or four two nine…, but four twenty nine (“4:29” or “4, 29”).
It was so vivid and I felt it so deep that I was obsessed about what this meant. Was God trying to tell me something? Was this a hint to some prophecy or importnat event I needed to prepare for? I will admit, I was slightly consumed and spent A LOT of time pouring through my bible. I was taking notes on each book of the bible that had a chapter four, verse nine and the fourth book of the bible, ninth chapter, etc. I spent time researching past dates, historical events that occured on April 29. A little, OCD, I know! But I was SURE that it was important!
I learned that there was a Christian musical group, named Building 429, and that their name was based on the scripture from Ephesians 4:29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
I would notice when the clock was at 4:29 and each year on April 29, I would wonder, “Is this the year it’s going to happen?” (Not know what “it” was.)
My family was aware of this slight obsession and would occasionally point out the time or the occurance of that number in our daily life, but nothing made sense for all those years.
And then 4-29-2025 rolled around.
For those that don’t know, Austin is like one of my own kids and he has spent a lot of time here at our home aver the years.
I had already made a mental note of the date and even commented to my daughter.
I saw the facebook post about the wreck before I knew it was Austin and I did not think there was any way either of the people in the accident had lived. Then Vick called with the news. My stomach dropped, and then Vick said he was alive and that we needed to get to the hospital.
That is when it hit me.
All those years ago, God knew this would happen. It was no surprise to Him. I needed to realize that and share it with all of the other family members that God is in control of this situation and to have faith in His plan.
There were several other little hints of this, for example when the verse of the day was Ephesians 4:29 right before Austin was sent to Indianapolis… and so many more.
And then there was Austin’s truck. When his dad went to see if there was anything that could be salvaged, it was burt up – nothing left but metal and springs – but on the dash, Austin’s bible. A little charred on the edges, but obviously spared.
This was no surprise to God. He told me that many years ago, so we could all be focused on Austin’s healing and God’s promises during this time.
This was no surprise to God.