Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — The family of a man hospitalized from a wrong-way crash on I-80 is sharing updates on his recovery and sharing a message about the family of the wrong-way driver, who was killed in the crash.
The crash left Ronald Krause with broken bones across his entire body, a hole in his lung, and severe head trauma. His family, including Krause's girlfriend Alyssa Luke, has been by his side every day.
Luke said her boyfriend is sedated and on a ventilator, and doctors are finding new injuries daily.
"I feel like we just want to talk to him and be like, 'Are you OK?'" she said. "Even though we know he's in so much pain, we just want to hear him say something. It's just so hard not to be able to communicate with him and just see him the way he is."
Luke said Krause was on his way home to Magna from visiting her in Heber the night of Dec. 13, when the driver of a pickup truck hit Krause in Parleys Canyon.
State troopers said the wrong-way driver was heading up the canyon, and Krause was heading down. Luke said Krause's pickup truck crossed over two other lanes, and he was pinned inside. First responders had to cut him out.
The wrong-way driver also hit an SUV, and the SUV driver suffered minor injuries.
Krause broke more than a dozen bones, punctured his lung and suffered a severe brain injury, Luke said.
"He broke his left foot, his right ankle, both his legs. So, his tibia and fibula in both legs. He broke his hips, he broke his ribs. He broke pretty much everything in his left arm. So, his left ulna, his left humerus, his left scapula, his left clavicle, his right hand, his nose," Luke listed off. "He kind of just broke everything, all the way up. And it's all just kind of shattered."
Doctors have already performed surgeries, and Krause is expected to undergo many more.
His family has been sitting with him, unable to talk to Krause. They have no idea what his recovery prospects are.
Luke said it's hard, especially since this came from a wrong-way driver's mistake. She said it seems like this is happening too much lately.
"I feel like people just need to be very cautious and either, whether they're under the influence or not, just paying attention and making sure they don't drive ... making sure that they're doing the right thing," Luke said.
When it comes to the wrong-way driver, she talked about how his family must also be having a difficult time from his mistake.
"His family has lost him and that's really hard for them," she said. "And we just want everyone to have compassion for them as well as they're going through this hard time, because it has to be hard for them, too."
A family friend set up a GoFundMe* to help with what will be extensive hospitalization and rehabilitation, as the family takes it one day at a time.
"It's going to be a long, hard journey, but we're here for him," Luke said. "We all support him and love him so much."
*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.
