A Fulton man is still in serious condition at University Hospital after he was hit on his motorcycle returning home from work Saturday.
Brandon C. Irwin, 29, was seriously injured April 21 when Kathleen N. Dunn, 20, of Springfield attempted to cross two lanes of traffic to get into the j-turn lane on Southbound U.S. Route 63, hitting Irwin, ejecting him from his motorcycle.
Irwin's 1999 Buell motorcycle was totaled, while Dunn's 2009 Infinity G37 suffered minor damage according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol accident report.
Irwin was transported to University Hospital by ambulance, where he remains in serious condition. His father, Rick Irwin, said Brandon fractured his skull, broke his right arm and leg, lost a kidney and some teeth and broke four ribs. He went through 28 units of blood during his ongoing hospital stay.
The Fulton Sun reported in March 2013 that Irwin, a Boone County Public Works street worker, was driving a plow during the February snow storm when he came upon an ambulance carrying a dying patient that was stuck in the snow. Irwin cleared a path for the vehicle to the hospital 2.5 miles away. The driver credited Irwin with saving the patient's life.
"When I came around the ambulance to plow a path, I saw the victim's wife in the passenger seat, and the look in her eyes is what drove me to the hospital," Irwin told the Fulton Sun at the time. "All I wanted to do was to make sure they had every opportunity to save that man's life, and I'm glad I was there to provide them that opportunity."
Irwin earned an American Red Cross Lifesaver Award for his actions.
Irwin's supervisor, Boone County Road Superintendent Bryan Boyce, said Irwin was "a hard worker" and that city workers hoped to donate vacation time to Irwin so he could continue to collect a paycheck during his recovery.
The Mokane Bar and Grill is already planning a poker run fundraiser for Irwin, organized by his parents. Irwin's father, Rick, said the event will begin with sign-in at 9 a.m. May 3 and last bike out at 11 a.m. For a $10 entry per hand and $5 per hand for passengers, drivers can take a course through Holts Summit, Ashland, the Lake of the Woods exit in Columbia, Kingdom City and Portland before returning to Mokane by 5 p.m. for a $10 pork steak dinner, live band and silent auction.
All funds will benefit Irwin's medical expenses. People can also donate online at www.gofundme.com/8oqkbo.
"If they can come out to poker run, we don't care if it's car, truck, motorcycle, whatever they've got to do, it'd be nice to come," Rick Irwin said. "We are asking for people to donate blood, he went through a lot and depleted a lot of supplies so at the very least donate to your local Red Cross. That's what he'd want done, he's a totally selfless person, he would want that to happen."
Rick Irwin said his son is now able to talk but has "a long row to hoe with rehab." Brandon Irwin has a wife three young boys.