GREAT FALLS — Matthew Wade of Black Eagle was recently seriously injured while riding a motorcycle west of Great Falls.
Wade, who was set to be inducted as Jr. Vice Commander of VFW Post 4669 in Black Eagle later this month, is now he’s fighting for his life.
“He’s a very accomplished rider, so the accident that he was in on Sunday was very surprising. But, you know, bizarre things happen,” says Shannon Wilson, Director of the Golden Triangle America Legion Riders.
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Wade was riding his bike with friends on Sunday evening between Augusta and Simms when he collided with a deer standing in a blind spot at the crest of a hill.
He was life-flighted to Benefis Health System in Great Falls where doctors are monitoring his fractured skull, orbital bones, and pelvis. Wade also has brain bleeding and facial hematomas.
He is expected to remain in the ICU for several weeks while doctors monitor pressure within his brain.
For a man who says he once rode 14,000 miles in one summer, it’s the last thing anybody expected.
“When you ride that many miles on a motorcycle, you know all the rules,” says Frank Tuss, Commander of Post 4669.
But this accident was a freak one.
“It bugs me a little bit,” says Casey Redder, a motorcycle instructor at Helena College.
Redder hates seeing people injured doing what he and they love so much, so he reminds everyone to take the proper precautions.
“We can't eliminate, but we can mitigate risks. Wear all your gear, from gloves, helmet, eye protection,” says Redder. “Broken bones do heal, but you can't live without your brain.”
The Montana Department of Transportation is in year four of a five-year plan to reduce the number of motorcycle accidents.
MDT hopes to attain a five-year average rate of motorcycle fatalities of 23.0 by December 31, 2026.
They also hope to attain a five-year average rate of un-helmeted motorcycle fatalities of 15.4 by December 31, 2026.
Thankfully, Matthew is expected to pull through: “We know he'll be back because he's a really strong person. He'll get through this,” says Wilson.
A GoFundMe has been created to help Wade; it states:
As many of you know, our beloved Matt was in a motorcycle accident on Sunday evening. He was riding with a group of friends, doing what he loves, when some deer decided to run across the road. Unfortunately, it happened so fast that Matt did not have time to stop, and he ended up crashing. He was life flighted to Benefis hospital and is currently in the ICU. Matt has a long road ahead of him and is dealing with skull fractures, orbital fractures, brain bleeding, facial hematomas, and pelvic fractures.
Click here if you would like to donate.
