Injured motorcyclist undergoes third operation

CEDAR RAPIDS - After more than 16 hours of surgery, a Cedar Rapids man badly injured in a motorcycle accident headed into another five-hour procedure Thursday afternoon.

Brian Smith, 30, of Cedar Rapids, fractured a femur, an elbow and multiple ribs in Saturday's crash at the intersection of Center Point Road and O Avenue NE.

“They didn't think he was going to make it,” LaShay Smith said. “He's lucky to be alive.”

Police said a sport-utility vehicle driven by Lori Dramstad, 46, of Cedar Rapids, was southbound in the right lane of Center Point Road NE around 4:10 p.m. Saturday when she attempted to turn left from her lane. Smith, who was in the left lane of the one-way street, struck the side of the SUV.

Smith's motorcycle caught fire, causing third-degree burns on his left leg. Along with the broken bones, he suffered abdominal bleeding and ruptured his bladder. Doctors had to remove nearly a foot of his small intestine.

Police have said charges are pending against Dramstad.

LaShay Smith said her husband was only two blocks away from home when he crashed. She said a neighbor who heard the wreck ran up to their house to tell her the news.

She ran barefoot to the scene, but another neighbor stopped her. He told her she didn't want to see Brian in that condition and said she should go to the hospital.

“I was scared, because I didn't know how bad it was going to be,” she said. “When I got to St. Luke's they put me in a private room with a chaplain.”

Although Smith was not wearing a helmet, he did not suffer any brain injuries.

“He owns three helmets and didn't have any of them on, so I'm not very happy about that,” LaShay Smith said.

Doctors have not estimated for family members how long Smith will remain hospitalized. He was moved out of the intensive care unit Wednesday and was no longer on a ventilator.

“He's doing a lot better than he was,” LaShay Smith said.