Kyle Lafever is a very hard-working individual. Between working on the line at the Ford Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, KY and working his landscaping business (Lafever Landscape Curbing), Kyle has precious little time for himself.
On the evening of October 19th, 2017, around 6:30-7:00 p.m., Kyle was working his second job near Blevins Gap Road in Southwest Louisville. He had just gotten off his shift at Ford and was mowing some lawns with his landscaping crew. While on his riding mower, another vehicle had come down the road behind Kyle. As happens during that time of year, the sun had started to go down and it was starting to get dark, and consequently the woman driving the car didn’t see Kyle partially in the road.
Kyle was hit by the driver. He slid nearly 20 feet before his body came to rest.
Two men working in a garage across the street heard the collision and ran over to provide assistance. Upon seeing the extent of Kyle’s injuries, they applied a tourniquet to his right thigh, which saved Kyle’s life. By the time EMS arrived, it was estimated that Kyle had lost several pints of blood.
Kyle woke up with his father and brothers surrounding his bed at UofL Health after being in a medically induced coma for 10 days. They walked Kyle through the events that happened to him, from his intensive care in Room 9, to the eventual amputation of part of his right leg. It is estimated that Kyle underwent 15-20 procedures, including the insertion of multiple rods and screws in Kyle’s left leg, which ultimately saved the limb.
Eventually, Kyle received a prosthetic limb, and after months of recovery and physical therapy, was able to return to work both at Ford and his landscaping business. Kyle notes, “I just want to make the best of things. There’s nothing I can do, I can’t change it, plus I was so young. I was only 22 at the time, so I still had my whole life ahead of me. I could either sit there and cry about it or go on and make the best of it."
Kyle was able to return to work at Ford, and continues to work his side job today. You can learn more about Kyle’s company at lafeverslandscapecurbing.com.
Kyle Lefever.
Motivated.
Trauma Survivor.
