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IDAHO FALLS — A newlywed father who recently welcomed his first child is lucky to be alive after seriously hurting himself in a motorcycle crash.
Brian Pinell, 31, lost control of his motorcycle and crashed Wednesday night at the underpass where G Street and Yellowstone Highway connect in Idaho Falls. Pinell was rushed to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center where he is recovering.
"All I remember is turning onto Northgate Mile at the light and then I woke up with tubes in my mouth," Pinell told EastIdahoNews.com. "I was riding with two other people who were behind me and they said when I went under that underpass, I hit gravel and the motorcycle slid. I flew off and slammed into the wall of the underpass and then the bike landed on me."
Pinell and his wife, Emily, were married just 10 days before the wreck and their first child, a boy named Greyson, is only 8 weeks old. Emily was at work teaching dance lessons at the time of the accident and became worried when Brian didn't call to let her know he had returned home.
"The class went until (9:00) and I hadn't heard from him. I called his phone and a cop answered. He said my husband had been in an accident and he didn't know anything more but to meet them at EIRMC (Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center)," Emily recalled. "He's so lucky to be alive. He has no broken bones, no internal or brain injuries but he pretty much scalped himself and has deep lacerations in his skull and on the side of his face."
Pinell is a K-9 trainer and says he has worked with dogs at local shelters. The couple is planning to move to North Carolina, where Emily is from, so he can start his own dog training business. With unexpected medical bills and no health insurance, a GoFundMe fundraiser* has been set up to help pay bills.
"Our biggest focus right now is to help him feel OK and supported," Emily said. "We have so many good friends out there and are very lucky to have the support."
Pinell has stitches and staples across his head and his left eye is swollen shut. Doctors are keeping a close eye on him and he hopes he'll be released to go home within the next few days.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
