On 9/2/2019 My life was forever changed. I have no memory of the day and have forgotten much of the time around the date of the accident. On Labor Day 2019, a friend of mine had wanted to go downhill mountain biking on Winter park mountain. I grew up in Colorado Springs doing traditional mountain biking but had never done downhill mountain biking before this day.
Despite having never been downhill mountain biking before, my friend who had brought me up to Winter Park that day apparently rode off to go to the bathroom at the bottom of the mountain. I apparently was then leading with my friend’s cousin following behind me. I then ended up on a black diamond rated trail called the Rainmaker, which is a very difficult trail rating.The trail was actually redesigned and rebuilt 2 years after I sustained my injury because people were often accidentally ending up on the trail and getting injured just as I had.
I am lucky that I survived. In my crash I severed my carotid artery and was apparently choking to death on my own blood. Luckily, a man riding in the group that was behind us on the trail was an off duty army medic. He was able to perform a jaw maneuver to open my airway which definitely prevented me from dying. This man lives in Colorado Springs, where I currently live and me and him frequently get together and hike.
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Matthew Brignola
$200.00 -
James Brignola
$50.00