(The crash) shattered my hip. I broke my arm, I broke my leg, I broke my neck, I broke five ribs, and then the propeller came around and hit me in the head and put me asleep for three weeks. – Wade Roundy
MT. PLEASANT, Sanpete County — It was an accident most people never thought Wade Roundy would survive.
Yet, 2½ years later, the Mt. Pleasant man who did live through a gyrocopter accident is sharing his ordeal and his gratitude for a second chance at life.
Roundy says “adventure” is his middle name.
“You kind of have to know me. If it is dangerous, I do it, or at least I used to do it,” he said.
One of Roundy's hobbies was building planes and gyrocopters. But on July 14, 2012, while on the runway at the Mt. Pleasant Regional Airport, his sense of adventure — flying a gyrocopter he built himself — almost cost him his life.
"(The crash) shattered my hip,” he said. “I broke my arm, I broke my leg, I broke my neck, I broke five ribs, and then the propeller came around and hit me in the head and put me asleep for three weeks.”
Roundy suffered head trauma that left him in a coma. He spent the next three months recovering in the hospital and said he had to relearn almost everything.
“I am still learning how to read,” he said Tuesday. “I can text pretty good.”
His near-death experience after the accident, he said, strengthened his faith and changed his perspective about life.
“The No. 1 important thing in this life is your family,” he said.
Later this month, Roundy’s accident will be a part of the cable network show "I (Almost) Accidentally Killed Myself." He said every day he is grateful for the prayers and support of the community in helping him to get better.
“It’s amazing how much help we have had — I mean, so amazing. It makes me (feel) ‘touchy-feely’ when I think about it,” he said.
Even though he struggles with permanent injuries, Roundy now sees every day as a blessing.
Email: spenrod@deseretnews.com