PORT ANGELES — About 30 times since his motorcyclist brother was severely hurt in a head-on collision with a car in early December, Sam Paxton has trekked to Seattle, where his brother is hospitalized.
Thomas Paxton had so many broken bones and other injuries that he must be strapped to the hospital bed because of the pain, his brother said.
After being in a coma for about two weeks, Thomas finally spoke his first words right around Christmas, Sam said.
He said “I love you” to his mother.
Since then, Thomas has slowly become more cognizant of what is going on, improving to where he can now subsist on a thick liquid diet and can be wheeled around the hospital in a large wheelchair that appears to be a half-bed.
Although he has moments of clarity, they are fleeting, Sam said.
“It just breaks my heart that my brother’s life is ruined and my life is totally changed and my mom’s life is totally changed because of this one thing,” he said
The collision occurred Dec. 3 on state Highway 112 west of Port Angeles.
Sam said his brother suffered several fractures to the skull, a shattered eye socket, two broken arms, two shattered wrists, an impacted spine and many internal injuries.
Thomas, 51, was riding his 2008 Yamaha motorcycle on the way home from his mother’s home in Joyce when a westbound 1999 Saturn SL2 driven by Harold Heagy, 40, of Port Angeles crossed the centerline, the State Patrol said.
Charges are pending in the case, said State Patrol spokeswoman Trooper Krista Hedstrom. It remains under investigation.
Sam said his brother does not remember much about the wreck.
“Sometimes, he thinks he is being punished, that he was the one that did something wrong,” Sam said.
“He has partial recollections, but basically, we might be there for four hours, and he has maybe 10 minutes of cognition.
“I ask him every day if he wants visitors, but he always says no.
“After awhile, he turned and looked at me and asked, ‘Would you?’
“I understood his point, but it breaks my heart.”
As often as possible, Sam travels to Seattle, where he works with Thomas on mental drills to help him work up to longer periods of focus.
“I try to spend four to six hours every day working with him,” he said.
“My biggest fear is that one day, the progress will stop.”
Until Thomas can improve to the point that he does not need to be tethered to the bed, he cannot be transferred to a closer location, Sam said.
Because Thomas was on Social Security disability income, much of his hospital expenses are covered, but the outside costs are mounting, Sam said.
“Once he is able, there is a special kind of scooter he will need to get around, and that isn’t covered,” Sam said.
“There is so much that isn’t covered.”
And Sam’s expenses are piling up as well at around $60 per trip to see his brother.
“I’ve wiped out my life’s savings,” he said.
Some in the community have helped out.
“It was really nice someone gave me a $50 gift card to Safeway — I used the whole thing on gas to go see him,” Sam said.
A fund for Thomas’ expenses is set up at Strait View Credit Union, 220 S. Lincoln St., Port Angeles.
The account is called the Thomas Paxton Guardianship Account and will be administered by his mother, Claudia, who Tuesday was granted guardianship.
Cards for Thomas, donations for him or donations for Sam’s travels will be accepted by Hair Systems West, 1006 W. 12th St., Port Angeles, in care of Ricki Niehaus.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
