A Hawthorne man was seriously injured when he was struck by an out-of-control car on Aug. 14.

One of these vehicles struck and seriously injured Hawthore resident Michael D. Spanier on Aug. 14. Spanier, an NDOT employee, was walking down Highway 50 when the accident happened. On Aug. 16 Spanier was listed in fair and stable condition. (Courtesy photo)

A Hawthorne man was seriously injured when he was struck by an out-of-control car on Aug. 14.

Michael D. Spanier and another Nevada Department of Transportation employee were walking down Highway 50 east of Fallon near the intersection with Sheckler Road while working as part of a team resealing the highway when the accident happened.

At about 9:30 a.m., Belle C. Currie, 88 of Fallon, tried to turn from Highway 50 onto Scheckler Road, but didn’t see a silver SUV driven by Jamie L. Sweetser, 34 of Fernly.

Currie’s white Toyota Camry struck the SUV on the driver’s side, causing it to roll over.

Spanier and the other employee started walking faster when they saw the accident, said Chuck Allen, a spokesman for the Nevada Highway Patrol. The other employee escaped unharmed, but Spanier was struck.

Also in Sweetser’s car were her children: Kamdyn, 5, Jaymeson, 2, and Rylee, 8; and a 58-year-old Washington woman.

All six motorists and Spanier were taken to Banner Churchill Community Hospital in Fallon. Allen said there are unconfirmed reports that Currie’s heart stopped on the way to the hospital, but she was in stable condition when she arrived.

Because of his injuries, Spanier was airlifted to Renown Regional Medical Center.

On Aug. 16, Spanier’s condition was listed as fair and stable. Spanier’s injuries included bleeding in the brain and abdomen; a broken femur (the long bone in the thigh); a bruised lung; a fractured back; and a sprained ankle, wrote Lorraine Haight, Spanier’s mother, in a letter to the Independent-News.

According to Renown’s website, patients in fair condition have vital signs that are stable and within the normal limit; and are conscious, although they “may be uncomfortable. Indicators are favorable.”

The other people taken to the hospital were treated and released the same day. Allen said they suffered minor injuries, mostly “bumps and bruises.”

According to Haight, Spanier will be coming back to Hawthorne soon.

“The surgeon repaired the split femur bone with titanium rods holding the bone together with titanium cables,” Haight wrote. “The fractures to his back will heal without surgery.”

And Spanier isn’t the only one to go home.

“The good news is all the motorists involved were treated, looked at and released, within a matter of hours in Fallon,” Allen said.

Allen said the cause of the accident was still under investigation, but it appears Currie “failed to observe” Sweetser’s car when she turned.

Allen said the investigation may take up to a month to complete and it’s listed as a priority one investigation—the same priority given to fatality accidents.

Many Hawthorne residents are happy that Spanier will return in one peace.

“Michael has many friends in Hawthorne and has coached Little League for many years,” Haight wrote. “[…] Our family and friends are grateful that he was strong enough to survive this accident.”

Anyone with more information about the crash is asked to call Trooper Chris Kelly at (775) 689-4661.

Renown’s website is http://www.renown.org/RenownHome.