Cloverdale dentist, daughter thankful three months after Geyserville car crash

As Thanksgiving approaches, 50-year old dentist Richard Anderson and his 18-year-old daughter, Abby, have many reasons to count their blessings.

On Aug. 14, they were critically injured in a three-vehicle accident in Geyserville that left two others dead. Today, Anderson and his daughter are out of the hospital and expected to make a full recovery.

Mercifully, neither of them remembers the accident or the ensuing rescue efforts to save them. In fact, Richard Anderson remembers nothing from that morning when he went to work until five weeks later.

His wife, Erin, became concerned when the two did not arrive home in Cloverdale that night as expected. Using an app on her phone, she was able to determine they were in Geyserville. She tried calling but got no response. When the app showed they were in the same spot 30 minutes later, she packed her five children in the car and headed south.

Seeing the Jeep crumbled and first responders removing a covered body, she started shaking. She recalls one of the firefighters gently removing her from the scene, having her sit down on the running board of a firetruck and opening the door to block her view, all the while reassuring her they were both still alive.

Abby had only moved to Cloverdale from Utah about two months earlier. Her plans were to work part-time in her father’s dental practice while taking classes at Santa Rosa Junior College before transferring to Sonoma State University. Her goal is to one day be a high school English teacher.

She was driving the family’s Jeep Grand Cherokee, and her dad was reclining in the passenger seat at the time of the crash. They believe their respective positions in the vehicle are likely what helped save their lives, since the driver’s side of the truck that hit them smashed right in their window.

Both were airlifted to Memorial Hospital where they underwent multiple surgeries, several lasting as long as eight hours. Abby’s injuries included two broken femurs, a crushed hip, fractured wrist and shattered elbow. She also suffered a painful third-degree burn on her forehead from the airbag.

By the eighth day, she was able by wheelchair to visit her dad. The following day, she was moved out of Memorial’s intensive care unit to Kaiser Hospital for physical therapy. She was discharged two and a half weeks after the accident, but still continues with her physical and occupational therapy.

As for Richard Anderson, he suffered severe internal injuries and was rendered completely disabled with nearly every bone in his body broken, including nine ribs, his arm, wrist, vertebrae, clavicle and pelvis.

One of those broken bones ?was the thumb on the hand he ?relies on as a dentist. Following the initial surgery, which would have restored limited use, his wife explained to the surgeon that this could effectively end his dental career. A second, more extensive surgery was then performed, and Anderson is now expected to regain full use of his hand.

Once released from Memorial, he spent time recovering at both Kaiser Vacaville and Kaiser Vallejo before finally being allowed to go home Oct. 5.

He talks of the miracles that surrounded them that night.

“There were EMTs on a nearby frontage road. Two Life-Flight helicopters were at River Rock Casino because of a fire in Lake County. I understand they were landing on the freeway in about six minutes. If only one had been available, only one of us would have been airlifted. The other would have had to go by ground ambulance.”

In a recent note posted on Facebook, Anderson noted, “At this time, I am completely bedridden, but have use of my arms. My rehabilitation has included learning everything all over again. My sweet wife calls me her big baby because there’s much care involved in my recovery.”

He is now working to sit up on the side of the bed and, using his one weight-bearing leg, learn how to stand and walk again. Presently, he uses a crane-type device to lift him from his bed to his wheelchair.

“The hardest thing is sitting in bed,” he said. “The best I can do is move my finger. Progress is measured in millimeters.”

Before the accident, he and Erin participated in several Spartan Races, complex races ranging from 3 miles to marathon distances with numerous obstacles. They plan to participate again, this time bringing Abby with them.

“I’m really looking forward to being able to walk, run and play again,” Abby said. “One of my goals is to run on the beach next summer.”

Dr. Anderson becomes emotional when he recalls how much support his family has received. His wife’s mother took three months off work to come ?help with the children. Two high school friends from Morgan Hill have driven up to visit and help out at both the ?hospital and his home. Even his barber, Chris Lands of Daredevils and Queens Barbershop in Santa Rosa, took his tools to the hospital in Vallejo and gave him a long-overdue haircut.

He expects to return to his practice at Vineyard Dental Group sometime next year, but in the meantime, he is learning a new kind of patience for himself and his patients.

“Being unable to roll over by myself at night, rediscovering how I hold a pen or a toothbrush has made me realize how much I need to pay more attention to the small things.”

He is also learning a new kind of appreciation for his family and plans to slow down and spend more time with them once he’s recovered.

“Each day is a gift,” he said, “and I consider it wonderful and truly a miracle to be alive. This accident has created an even stronger bond for our family. I used to call my mom every morning. Now I check in with her twice a day.”