CEDAR CITY — A man who crashed while riding a motorized skateboard along Cedar City’s Main Street on Saturday afternoon was hospitalized with traumatic head injuries.
Chace Dean Sanders, 39, remains at St. George Regional Hospital as of Wednesday afternoon with a fractured skull and various other injuries, according to friends and associates.
One eyewitness, who was inside the lobby of a nearby extended stay motel, reported that Sanders had been riding the skateboard on the sidewalk when he appeared to hit some overlapping vegetation or landscaping, which caused him to fly through the air and land on his head on the concrete.
The incident occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. on the east side of the roadway near 337 S. Main St.
Although no police report was generated, a Gold Cross Ambulance crew responded to the incident and transported Sanders to Cedar City Hospital. From there, he was taken via Intermountain Life Flight helicopter to St. George.
The eyewitness, along with several other people who were nearby, called 911 and went to his aid immediately after the crash to see if he was OK.
Amy Pichette, a close friend of Sanders, told Cedar City News she was at a nearby laundromat when the incident happened. She arrived on scene around the same time as the ambulance did, she said.
Pichette said Sanders was initially alert at the scene but was unable to speak.
“He kept pointing at his ear and making noises,” she said. “He was able to stand up after two tries to get himself onto the gurney, and the paramedics got him into the back of the ambulance.
“He just kept plugging his nose like, you know, when you’re trying to pop your ears. We could hear the air coming out of his ear, and it was just bubbling with really big blood clots and just oozing out.”
Pichette spoke to Cedar City News on Tuesday as she prepared to drive to St. George for another hospital visit. Sanders’ mother, who lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, and his father, who lives in Arizona, have also been at their son’s bedside throughout his stay.
“They’re saying today is supposed to be day one of the hardest part because that’s when his brain is going to start doing all the swelling,” Pichette said on Tuesday, adding that doctors were encouraged by the fact that there appeared to be minimal swelling and bleeding.
“It’s one day at a time, that’s all we can take right now. It’s kind of a waiting game,” Pichette added. “But he’s stable. They’re keeping him heavily sedated.”
Pichette shared more good news on Wednesday, saying she stayed with Sanders overnight at the hospital.
“He did well,” she reported. “His levels stayed stable and he only had a few situations where he worried myself and the doctors.”
If Sanders’ condition continues to improve, his doctors may try to have him woken up by Friday, Pichette added.
Sanders, who recently moved to Cedar City from Las Vegas, loves riding his dirt bike and his skateboard, Pichette said.
“He’s a young one at heart,” she said. “He’s a lot older than he thinks he is. And I know it doesn’t help with him not wearing a helmet, either. Right there, that is a big thing. If he would have had a helmet on, that would have saved a lot of trouble for him.”
Pichette described Sanders as “a unique man.”
“He has one of the biggest hearts I’ve had the opportunity to cross paths with,” she said. “He has a long marathon ahead, as one nurse stated, but the support team he has is along for the ride of recovery with him. God is amazing and miracles do happen. We just continue for a healthy recovery and appreciate everyone’s blessings.”
Photo Gallery
Skateboard amid vegetation overlapping the sidewalk, shortly after its rider Chace Sanders was thrown from the skateboard and injured, Cedar City, Utah, Nov. 18, 2023 | Image courtesy of Amy Pichette, St. George News / Cedar City News Skateboard amid vegetation overlapping the sidewalk, shortly after its rider Chace Sanders was thrown from the skateboard and injured, Cedar City, Utah, Nov. 18, 2023 | Image courtesy of Amy Pichette, St. George News / Cedar City News Chace Dean Sanders with his electric skateboard in September 2023 | Image courtesy of Facebook, St. George News / Cedar City News A person holds Chace Sanders' hand during his stay in the hospital, St. George, Utah, Nov. 21, 2023 | Image courtesy of Amy Pichette, St. George News / Cedar City News
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