Slow recovery following accident

MISSOULA – Potomac resident Scott Davis had just checked out football equipment with his youngest son Easton when he pulled onto Reserve Street in Missoula Sunday, Aug. 21.

"That's really the last thing I remember until I woke up in Spokane," Scott said. "I don't remember much of Spokane until we got back to [Missoula] which was on Wednesday. It is all a pretty big blur."

The Davises were in a head-on collision just before 6 p.m. near the 3100 block of Reserve.

A representative with the Missoula Police Department said injuries were reported. The injuries of the second party were not released. Charges are pending further investigation.

Tanner Davis, 15-years-old, got the call at home that his father and brother were involved in a car accident. Due to poor cell service, his mother Kristina did not hear about the accident until she got home. Tanner immediately called the person back.

Kristina learned that responders were still working on getting Scott out of the vehicle. However, Easton, who was riding in the front seat, got out of their vehicle himself. He had already been transported via ambulance to Community Medical Center. He was bruised from the seatbelt and on his knees and sustained small lacerations on his forehead.

Since Easton was talking and doing fine, Kristina and Tanner chose to go to the accident scene.

Kristina said it took emergency responders over an hour to extricate Scott from the vehicle. By the time she and Tanner arrived, Scott had already been transported to St. Patrick Hospital. She talked to the firefighters on scene to get a better idea of Scott's condition. They told her he had some cuts on his head but was talking and coherent.

"That was super reassuring," Kristina said.

The left side of Scott's body took the brunt of the impact. His left wrist and hand were broken in three places. His left elbow looked like it had been drug on the gravel and he had bruising on his right forearm. He sustained a laceration from his eyebrow to his forehead and had a really bad concussion. The most concerning injury was four breaks in his left femur, including a spiral and compound fracture. Due to the severity of his leg injuries, he was flown to Spokane that night for surgery. He also had surgery on his wrist and had a pin put in his hand on Tuesday, Aug. 23.

Scott was taken via ambulance back to St. Patrick Hospital Wednesday night, Aug. 24. He is still in the hospital as of Tuesday, Sept. 6 waiting clearance to go to rehab. Kristina expects he will be at Community Rehab for seven to 12 days. He cannot put weight on his left leg for six weeks.

"Being a person that loves the outdoors, the hunting and fishing, I asked a gal if I can put my hunting boots on and go opening day of rifle season," Scott said. "She just grinned at me and said, 'It will probably be seven to eight months before you lace on a pair of hiking boots before you go hike in the woods.'"

Kristina said after talking to a physical therapist, they expect 90-95% mobility recovery on his leg.

Scott is a long-time employee at Roseburg Forest Products Co where he runs equipment, wraps flat cars and loads semis. As soon as he is back on his feet, they have assured him they will get him back to work on light duty.

"I'm not a desk worker. It is going to be a rough long road," Scott said.

Easton suffered a mild concussion but returned to practicing with his football team the week of Aug. 29. He will be cleared to compete this week. Scott said he is going to miss watching both his sons play football.

"I'm not going to get to watch and be involved in all the kids' stuff like normal," Scott said. "It definitely makes it hard."

In his free time, Scott loves to cut firewood, pick huckleberries, hike into mountain lakes and be outdoors with his family hunting and fishing. Scott said his son also drew a special mule deer buck tag.

"This is really going to be a big life changing event for a year, two, three maybe, I don't know," Scott said.

The Davises have insurance. However, Kristina has already missed two weeks of work and will miss more. While she used to teach at Potomac School, she took last year off and opened an outdoor science academy. She did not have any school groups lined up for the fall which was "a blessing in disguise so I could do this."

Scott encourages people to wear their seat belts and pay attention to what they are doing while driving.

"It puts a whole new outlook on everything when something like this happens to you," Scott said. "I just can't imagine if it would have been Easton in my spot. It would just tear me apart. Pay attention on the road, take your time and slow down."

"It could have been a whole lot worse," Kristina said. "We are lucky they are here."

Scott's friend Ryan Hall started a GoFundMe fundraiser to support the Davis family. They have been friends for more than 15 years.

"Scott Davis is an extremely hard-working individual," Ryan said. "He is a great father, he is a great husband, an avid hunter, a huckleberry hoarder, firewood hoarder and perch fillet hoarder but he would give you the shirt off his back."

Hall said the Davis family hosts an annual community barbecue. Scott barbecues all the meat and makes 200 jalapeño poppers to feed the entire community. Everyone in the community is invited to attend for free and he won't accept a donation.

"How many people do you know that do that?" Hall said. "He is just a good guy – honest, fair...he didn't deserve this."

To donate through the GoFundMe visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/davis-family-head-on?qid=3f673a2ea483f3146afca17c548efce8. Donations can also be made directly to the family by making checks out to Scott Davis or Kristina Davis and dropped off or mailed to Park Side Credit Union, 2300 Great Northern Ave, Missoula, MT 59808.