Lanzilotta thanks emergency responders, community for care in wake of accident

Dec. 22—Sixty days ago, Jason Lanzilotta called his wife, Jennifer, and told her he loved her, but that he was dying.

A crushing injury left him badly hurt, and he knew he was bleeding internally. He didn't think he'd survive.

Today, Lanzilotta credits the teamwork of everyone involved in responding to his accident and the outpouring of love from the community in the months since for his ongoing recovery.

"It was God putting the right people in my life with the special gifts they had," Jason said. "If they didn't use the gifts God gave them, it would have failed. There was no room for error.

"I had all the odds against me."

The accident

Jason said he's heard a dozen different versions of what happened. Some are close to the truth. Others are far afield.

He was working at property he owns off Hwy. 70 W. in the western portion of Cumberland County on Oct. 25. He and another man were unloading old telephone poles to be used in construction of a pole barn.

The other man ran the tractor. Jason connected the hooks used to lift the poles from the trailer.

Suddenly, a pole shifted as it was being moved. It hit him in the chest. He said he pushed it down, but the pole pinned him to the ground and crushed his pelvis.

The telephone pole weighted between 1,000-1,200 pounds. The other man was older and physically unable to lift the pole. Jason said adrenaline allowed him to somehow get the pole off him.

"I knew right then I was badly, badly injured," Jason said.

The pain was intense, but he did not lose consciousness. Instead, he asked the man to help him get his phone.

His first call was to 911, answered by Dispatcher Taylor Young. He told her he had been crushed, that he was bleeding internally and that he needed blood and oxygen and a helicopter to transport him to a trauma center. He gave her the address.

Young asked, "Is this Jason Lanzilotta?"

He said yes. She said, "I'm getting you help."

Jason said he needed to call Jennifer and hung up the phone. Jennifer had sensed something was amiss. She'd tried calling while he had been on the phone with 911, and she was already on her way to him.

"I got on the phone and told her I loved her and that I'd been crushed but that I am dying. I knew I was bleeding internally and that I was dying," he said.

A series of

fortunate events

Jason's call to 911 set off a flurry of activity.

The dispatcher called Jason's brother, Cumberland County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Rick Lanzilotta, and told him what had happened. Rick was only minutes away from Jason, the closest first responder. He rushed to his brother's side.

"My brother held my hand," Jason said. "I could feel the warmness of his hand."

Rick encouraged Jason to hang on: "Jason, you've got this. Come on."

"I've heard his voice all my life — Jason you've got this. Come on."

Moments later, Jennifer arrived. Her scream was like an electric shock through him, Jason said, and it revived him.

Then, Cumberland County Emergency Medical Services personnel arrived: Brandon Bryant and Keisha Woolbright. EMS Training Officer Daniel Coleman wasn't on duty but heard the call and came to the scene to assist.

Not only was Rick a member of the Sheriff's Office family, but Jason had been a deputy before, as well. He left to work in security at Y-12 in Oak Ridge, but the department still came out to show their concern and support. He named off a few — Sheriff Casey Cox, Lt. Butch Lefebrve, Tom Howard, Mitchell Ward — the list goes on. Jennifer estimates about 30 people were there.

There were many obstacles.

It was a windy day, and both air ambulances called denied the flight to the landing zone in Pleasant Hill.

Jason was unlikely to survive an ambulance trip to the trauma center.

"I looked at my brother and said, 'It's OK,'" Jason said. "I had accepted that's where I was going to die."

But the team wouldn't accept that.

Through numerous efforts, LifeStar agreed to meet an ambulance at Airport Rd. on I-40 in eastern Cumberland County.

Jason needed a clotting agent to help control the internal bleeding from two severed arteries. Coleman knew a shipment had just arrived and was sitting on his desk at the EMS center in town. A deputy was sent to get it and bring it to the scene.

But the ambulances were only equipped with enough blood to get Jason to Cumberland Medical Center.

EMS worked with the CMC Emergency Room to arrange for a quick transfusion and then stocking up the ambulance with more blood — 8 1/2 pints total — for the trip east.

It was a flood of blue lights as the ambulance left the property and made its way through town to CMC.

Jennifer said she's heard from people who saw this procession of emergency vehicles. They just stopped and prayed, not knowing what had happened or who was hurt.

Tom Howard took Jennifer with him to CMC. From there, Deputy Dustin Hensley took her to University of Tennessee Medical Center.

One of the most important elements of his care was that the first responders held his hand and talked to him the whole way from the property to the helicopter. He says he was in and out of consciousness, but they kept talking to him.

"They did not stop," he said. "After the incident, they said, 'You kept fighting, so we kept fighting even harder for you.'

"It was love — it was pure love for what they do."

Extensive injuries

The staff at UT Medical Center also made sure Jennifer and Rick were with Jason as much as possible — something she thinks contributed to his survival.

"They let me hold his hand," she said.

They learned Jason had multiple pelvic fractures which had caused his iliac and gluteal arteries to bleed. The pelvic area was crushed. The transverse process bone in vertebrae L2 to L5 were fractured. He had a lacerated spleen and liver and a ruptured bladder. He also suffered a lot of nerve damage that left him feeling numb from the waist down, though specific areas of numbness varies.

"I'm numb, but I can still feel," he said.

He needed immediate surgery to control the internal bleeding. There were more surgeries over the coming days. Several pins and screws were necessary to bring his pelvis back together.

Jason remembers looking down and seeing if he could move his feet.

They moved.

He spent five days in the trauma intensive care unit and 17 days total at the medical center before being sent home.

They've had some trouble finding home care after the discharge, even though Jason has health insurance.

"I can do the nursing part, but he's young, he's active," Jennifer said. "He's not had any issues. He should not go home without therapy,"

While his physical therapy is somewhat limited at the moment because he's unable to bear weight on his legs, Jennifer knew he needed to get started on therapy to strengthen his pelvic floor and mitigate muscle loss while he's confined to a wheelchair.

Victoria Campbell with Total Balance Therapy in Crossville has been working with the family from the beginning, offering advice on making the home safe upon Jason's return home and a goody bag of items to help with therapy.

She's also helping the family work with Jason on his specific therapy needs — which is their specialty.

"It's amazing, the timing of everything," Jennifer said. "We've had the right people in the right place."

Help at home

Both Jason and Jennifer have been blown away by the community's ongoing care for them and their family. Jason's brother Jesse, a builder, went to work immediately building a ramp into the family's home — and the materials were donated by a local building supply company. He also renovated the couple's bathroom so it would be easier for Jason to use.

The kids were well cared for while their parents were in Knoxville, with friends and family making sure the kids got to their ballgames, or to and from school, even making sure they enjoyed their Halloween.

There have been meal trains and food from friends, neighbors, churches — not just their own church. Pomona United Methodist Church came by and sang carols recently.

There have been multiple fundraisers, from drawings, silent auctions, a drawing at Tabor's Pawn Shop, fundraiser by Synergy Medical Associates, a bench press contest at Brikhouse Gym and the Jack Frost 5K — which Jason wants to run in next year. Total Balance and Young Pharmacy have held fundraisers and taken donations for specific medical needs.

There have been personal donations from others.

"It just goes on," Jason said. "How amazing they are, and they don't stop."

Jason and Jennifer have four children: Madalyn, 13, Hudson, 12, Reese, 5, and Ainsley, almost 2.

Jason works in security with Y-12 in Oak Ridge. Jennifer has a full-time job in the medical field and owns The Dressing Room, a Crossville boutique.

They've often offered to help others, but they aren't used to being on the receiving end of the community's kindness, Jennifer said.

"Now I know what it feels like to be blessed by people helping," she said. "I can take this journey and use it to have more insight on how to help other people later on."

The journey ahead

Jason says he's getting stronger each day.

He finds out in January if his pelvis has healed enough to allow him to start working on walking.

"Mentally, I'm focused because I have an army of a community that is backing me to get me better," Jason said. "I didn't know that many people cared like that."

There are many challenges ahead. He's focused on learning how to take care of daily tasks, like getting dressed or taking a shower.

"And it's OK," he said.

Looking back at where he was 60 days ago, he said, "I'm doing amazing."

He said the experience made him consider how precious time is.

"I kept thinking if I could have a little bit more time," Jason said. "I've been granted more — I'm very thankful for that."

He's also been thinking about how blessed he is to live in Cumberland County — from the dispatcher thinking to contact his brother to the outpouring of support that continues from a community that came together.

"Miracles happen," Jason said, reflecting on the series of events, the good breaks that helped overcome challenges, and the love the community has shown. "Don't give up. Keep fighting."

Heather Mullinix is editor of the Crossville Chronicle. She covers schools and education in Cumberland County. She may be reached at hmullinix@crossville-chronicle.com.