Squaw CEO, Andy Wirth, Is Lucky To Be Alive | Graphic Skydiving Injury Details & Interview:

SnowBrains
skydiving andy wirth
Andy Wirth skydiving in Lodi, CA with Chris Boyle. Andy has stated that he won’t skydive again.

51-year-old Squaw Valley CEO and Presidentย Andy Wirth had a near death experience on October 13th, 2013 when he crash landed skydiving with JT Holmes in Lodi, CA. ย Since his injury, he’s spent 50 days in the hospital in Davis, CA had 21 surgeries on his right arm. ย Andy will always be missing his right biceps muscle.

Moonshine Ink just interviewed Andy Wirth about his arm injury and his life since his accident. ย Below in an excerpt from their interview with Andy Wirth.

wirth ceo
Andy Wirth, Squaw Valley CEO.

Lucky to Be Alive, Squawโ€™s Andy Wirth is Back at Work

by Moonshine Ink

Moonshine Ink:ย Did you ever think this was the end?
Andy Wirth:ย The [vineyard] posts created substantial trauma. I realized I was very close to bleeding out. I stemmed the bleeding with direct pressure; I didnโ€™t panic. I thought, โ€˜Iโ€™m in a tough spot.โ€™ This was not going to be a discussion over beer with JT [Holmes] that night.

Nobody landed in the drop zone. It was clear that it was going to be a while until somebody got to me, and I was bleeding out. I entered into a mode of reconciliation with passing away. It was the closest I had come to death. There was intense sadness, but I quickly got to happy thinking about my kids and wife. It was an odd combination of how things went through my mind.

MI:ย When did you know you were going to make it?
AW:ย Around 12 to 15 minutes later, Amanda [another skydiver] came over. I instructed her how to do a tourniquet, but until I got to the heli, I wasnโ€™t sure. The ambulance took about 15 to 20 minutes, then it took me to the flight for life. It was about 30 minutes until I got to the heli.

Andy Wirth and wife.  photo:  albert lewis
Andy Wirth and wife. photo: albert lewis

MI:ย What was the damage to your arm?
AW:ย I was very close to losing my arm. At UC Davis, now that I was reasonably confident I was going to survive the night, I negotiated to save my arm. If they needed to take it three to four weeks from now, that was okay. I demonstrated to the surgeons that I had some movement in my hand.

My bicep muscle was in the vineyard. The trauma was from the mid-humerus down, from my shoulder to my elbow. The damage was mostly vascular, a violent dislocation of the elbow and degrubbing, where the tissue and muscles get stripped off the bone. I had skin and muscle grafts, restabilization of the elbow, they had to bring the connective tissues together, graphs of veins that became arteries. Then some parts got infected, and I had to have the same surgery again by a different group of surgeons at California Pacific Medical Centerโ€™s Buncke Clinic, which specializes in reattachments.

MI:ย What is your recovery like and will you be able to return to all the sports you love?
AW:ย I canโ€™t type. My range of motion is [that] I have good extension and flexion. I can tie my shoes and zip my jacket.

Since Iโ€™ve been back at work since Dec. 24, I do shorter days. I am on a two-thirds schedule. I wonโ€™t be able to ski this year, and I am completely bummed about it. It was strange not being here for the ski area opening. I have never missed an opening since 1986. And itโ€™s the first time Iโ€™ve missed a ski season since I was 12.

Iโ€™m doing a great deal of physical therapy in Truckee. Iโ€™m not too sure I will ever stop doing physical therapy on my hand, elbow, and shoulder. I will still be able to trail run, mountain bike, road bike, and ski. Swimming is one of the harder things. I wanted to get back into triathlons.

My brachial muscle can gain strength and allow me to brush my teeth. But my right arm wonโ€™t return to its main strength. I donโ€™t have my bicep muscle.

MI:ย Will you skydive again?
AW:ย I wonโ€™t. I would jump in two seconds again, but this accident created so much heartache and pain for my wife, kids, and parents. My wife hasnโ€™t said โ€˜I donโ€™t want you to skydive.โ€™ – Moonshine Ink

The ski and snowboard site with intelligence.
7 Comments

Got an opinion? Let us know...