HOS Note- Sam, You are in our thoughts and prayers. Get well soon- we are all eager to have your talents and creativity here at Animas in the fall! Know that our entire community is thinking about you and wishes you all the best in your recovery.
Escalante student injured at event
Sam Kuenzel hurt at Destination ImagiNationby Ann ButlerHerald Staff Writer
Article Last Updated; Sunday, May 30, 2010 12:00AMThe thrill of competing in the Global Finals of Destination ImagiNation turned into tragedy for an Escalante Middle School student Tuesday.
Sam Kuenzel, 14, was severely injured when he fell about 40 feet onto concrete at the Thompson-Boling Arena at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Sam, the son of Ingo and Jennifer Kuenzel, is a member of the A.D.H.Di. Team at Escalante. His team had been asked to act as foreign ambassadors to a team from Singapore, and Sam and a friend were on the way to meet the team for a pizza party when the accident happened.
The area was crowded, and the boys decided to jump a half-wall and run to another half-wall to get to their destination. They didn't realize that the space between the two walls was a 40-foot drop.
"Luckily, his friend Colin was behind him and didn't fall also," Sam's mother said from the University of Tennessee Medical Center where Sam was treated after the accident and will stay until Wednesday or Thursday.
In another lucky stroke, both she and her husband were traveling with the team because Jennifer Kuenzel is one of the team's coaches, and Sam's father was the first person to get to him after the fall. The site of the accident was only 10 minutes away from the hospital, which also helped, Jennifer Kuenzel said.
Sam broke both arms, ribs and pelvis, most of the bones in his face and has a skull fracture with brain hematoma. He also has minor internal injuries, The hospital listed him as stable on Saturday.
"The plastic surgeons did an amazing job," Jennifer Kuenzel said. "He looks really good, considering, and he's improving daily."
Because of the severity and kind of injuries Sam suffered, doctors have prohibited him from flying, so the family is looking at several days of car travel to get home.
"We've got a long recovery ahead, but he's making great strides already," Sam's mother said.
Doctors have predicted that Sam will make a full recovery, and he hopes to be mostly healed by August, when he plans to attend Animas High School as a freshman. A lot of people have already volunteered to help over the summer.
"I wanted to say how overwhelmed Jennifer and I are about all the love, support and offers of help we have gotten since this happened," Ingo Kuenzel wrote in an e-mail to family and friends.
While his team was shocked by the accident, they decided to continue to participate in the competition, Escalante Principal Amy Kendziorski said in a news release. They were scheduled to compete Friday afternoon, and the results will be reported when they are available.
