A high school track and field coach in Texas remains in the intensive care unit after being hit in the head by a shot put at a meet.
Blake Crutsinger, a coach at Ponder High School, was hit by the errant shot put in Tyler, Texas, on Saturday, May 2, according to his wife, Leslie Crutsinger.
“Thank you to everyone who has been praying for Blake and sending messages today,” Leslie wrote via Facebook. “He was at the Regional track meet and was hit with a shot put around 2pm today. It was a FREAK accident! He is in ICU in Tyler and has a skull fracture and brain swelling. Please pray specific prayers for the swelling to stay down as this is the biggest concern for the first 2-3 days.”
She added, “Also please pray for the young man from the other school who is taking this accident very hard!”
Blake had surgery to remove the left part of his skull on Monday, May 4, Lisa shared on Facebook.
Shortly after, Leslie was able to see the scar on her husband’s head — and she managed to have a sense of humor about things.
“There is definitely no hiding it! I see even more ball caps in his future!” she wrote.
Blake will stay in the ICU for “a minimum of 2-4 weeks but could easily be longer,” Leslie explained, before being transferred to a rehab facility.
Leslie offered another hopeful update on Wednesday, May 6, after meeting Blake’s new nurse.
“There was no CT scan last night. He said the EEG [electroencephalogram] was complete and read and it only shows general slowing which is normal for a head injury, but doesn’t show seizure activity. GREAT NEWS!” Leslie shared via Facebook. “He looks good and the face and eye swelling on his left side have gone down.”
She added, “He will also get one unit of blood which is normal. His levels have slowly gone down but it’s good he hasn’t needed it before now. The other big thing today is they will start to reduce his propofol and start waking him up enough to rest his breathing. The goal is to be able to get this tube out of his throat because it’s so invasive and not meant for long term.”
Leslie and Blake, who also coaches football at Ponder High, share two children: son Keller and daughter Avery.
“The quick actions of the coaches, trainers, and any medical staff that helped at the school and the quick response of the ambulance was a game changer in Blake’s prognosis,” Leslie shared. “The adults and athletes who were there and witnessed what happened were shook to say the least. The prayers from everyone at the meet and across the state mean more than anyone will ever know!”
