Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Commissioner-Writer Faces Surgery, Discusses Resuming Her Busy Life
Daria Anderson-Faden badly broken leg was placed in a stabilizing brace after the traffic accident she was involved in. She is scheduled for surgery Oct. 9.
Daria Anderson-Faden, the Kimball County Commissioner and Observer staff writer, continues recovering from serious injuries suffered during her Sept. 23 head-on collision in Banner County with a pickup driven by a Colorado man cited for driving under the influence of drugs.
Anderson-Faden told the Observer on Tuesday that she awaits replacement surgery on her crushed right ankle next week at Regional West Medical Center in Scottsbluff, which had been scheduled for Wednesday this week but was postponed due to swelling in her broken leg. A stabilizing bar was placed on her leg after the accident.
She said doctors may also look at repairing other injured bones. Her right arm and wrist also were broken, and she suffered a concussion and bloody nose.
The commissioner, someone who likes to keep busy professionally and personally, said she hoped to return to her roles in politics and as a journalist in the coming weeks even it means using a wheelchair or walker to do it in a limited capacity. She said she is trying to get stronger and going through rehabilitation therapy.
"If I can get out (of the hospital) by mid-month, I could ride a (county) transit bus" to get around because they are wheelchair-accessible, she said.
As it is, she was unable to attend Tuesday's commissioners meeting and is sidelined from the Observer for as long as she needs.
Anderson-Faden continues to count herself "super lucky" for surviving the violent crash that mangled her SUV and is grateful that nobody else was in her vehicle.
"I've just had an unbelievable amount of support, and that just helps so much," she said.
Meanwhile, the three oilfield workers who occupied the other vehicle also were injured seriously – and two of them face drug charges.
The Nebraska State Patrol last week said pickup driver Edward Roberts, 62, of Brush, Colo., was cited for driving under the influence of drugs and meth possession, and passenger Michael Teter, 50, of Denver, was cited for possessing meth and drug paraphernalia.
The other pickup passenger was identified as Glen Koch, 54, of Sterling, Colo.