By Charlie Warner, Special to the Independent
A year after a violent mountain biking accident in Laguna Beach left mountain biker Chris Hukill temporarily paralyzed, the 58-year-old San Clemente resident has recovered almost completely.
The accident occurred last April 22, 2016, on the Top of the World trail known as Telonics, a notoriously dangerous mountain biking trail. Hukill fell on a section known as Volkswagen Rock, plummeting an estimated 300 feet along with his cross country Santa Cruz Tallboy with 29 inch wheels. Local firefighters required the aid of the Orange County Fire Authority to airlift Hukill out of the ravine.
“I was out there,” said Laguna Beach Fire Chief Jeff LaTendresse. “It took a while to find him. He was hidden in a canyon with a lot of vegetation around. Our firefighters hiked up from the bottom, and it was a very long hike. At the same time we requested a helicopter and a search and rescue team from OC Fire Authority to attempt a rope rescue from the top of the trail. The firefighters from the bottom reached him first.”
Hukill hopes to personally meet the firefighters involved, who he credits with saving his life. “I don’t remember much obviously, and I want to show my thanks for all they did.”
“It was an incredible rescue. It is really an amazing story,” said Api Weinert, a department division chief.
Hukill remembers lying on a ledge. “A white entity came to me, put a silky veil on me and didn’t verbally speak to me, but it seemed to reassure me that everything was going to be okay. That’s the last thing I remember before I woke up paralyzed in the hospital,” he said.
LaTendresse said the hour-long rescue was complicated by Hukill’s location and looming darkness. “Even getting to where he was to set up the rope rescue system was very difficult because he wasn’t exactly on a trail. I’d say there were around 30 firefighters and policemen involved,” said LaTendresse.
Hukill was rushed for treatment to the Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana. Doctors determined Hukill suffered from broken cervical and thoracic vertebrae in his neck and torso. “I had a punctured lung and some contusions. I also had a small brain bleed, but that went away in the first few days at the hospital. I don’t remember much of that first week,” said Hukill. When he woke up in the hospital, he was temporarily paralyzed.
“The doctors said I would be paralyzed. I guess they prepare you for the worst,” said Hukill.
Neurosurgeon Peyman Tabrizi fused three of his broken vertebrae with a cadaver’s vertebrae and some screws to put him back on the road to recovery.
“In the beginning, I couldn’t stand up,” said Hukill, who was bedridden for three weeks and dropped 30 pounds since the accident. Nurses would help him daily with stretching and flexing his muscles. “I still don’t walk very well, and still have limitations.”
Hukill says he takes between 3,000 and 8,000 steps a day, which is about average for adults, and goes to physical therapy twice a week.
He spent several months in intensive physical rehabilitation at CareMeridian. By June, Hukill had recovered enough to walk across a room unassisted, a moment he described as a very emotional experience. He attributes his speedy recovery to his wife, Jenny, who was always present to support him. She is currently working on a book chronicling her experience titled “300 Foot Drop to a Miracle.”
“There was a time when I was very negative. The healing process and my wife’s support has certainly given me a more positive outlook. And I’m back to work, which has also helped a lot.” Hukill returned to his print shop, Hukill Paint & Graphics in Laguna Hills, last October.
Due to the severity of his injuries, Hukill’s family created a Gofundme.com to help cover the medical costs. The page raised $36,625 from donors, who included several clients among his largest supporters.
Hukill’s accident has not diminished his love of mountain biking. When asked if he plans to return to the trail in the future, he said, “I would love to. I might give myself another nine months or a year, but I would love to. I want to get more confidence back.”
