A.T.V. Crash: One Rider Fights for His Life
The men who were critically injured when their all-terrain vehicles collided in Montauk a little more than a week ago have a long recovery period ahead, and with one of them still fighting for his life, his family is asking for the community’s financial help.
Henry O. Sjoman, a 24-year-old commercial fisherman living in Montauk, suffered a traumatic brain injury when the A.T.V. he was riding behind the Montauk recycling center crashed.
John R. Veitch, 31, the driver of the other A.T.V., who is also a commercial fisherman, was also seriously injured in the Dec. 14 crash, breaking several bones in his face, neck, and ribs. He underwent an eight-hour facial reconstruction surgery on Monday. He was expected to have been discharged from Stony Brook University Hospital on Tuesday, and he will live with his father in Bellport.
“The difference between he and Henry . . . they both had a crack in their foreheads. Henry’s kind of pushed back in his brain,” Tom Veitch, Mr. Veitch’s father, said by phone on Tuesday. East Hampton Town police, who investigated the crash, said both men were wearing helmets.
Mr. Veitch will be out of work for at least two to three months. “He’s fortunate, believe me,” his father said. “We’re all praying for Henry.”
Mr. Sjoman is in much more dire straits. Vanessa Wynn, his sister-in-law, said his prognosis remains unknown. He is being treated in Stony Brook’s intensive care unit and is listed in critical, but stable, condition.
One thing is for sure, “It will be a long road to recovery with extensive medical expenses,” Ms. Wynn wrote on a GoFundMe.com fund-raising page created Sunday with the goal of raising $250,000. As of Tuesday morning, $4,970 had been donated.
“Henry’s a type of guy who would never hesitate to give the shirt off his back to help a friend in need. He has a huge heart and is a very loved brother, friend, and uncle,” Ms. Wynn wrote.
Mr. Sjoman moved to Montauk from East Northport when he was 14. A lover of all outdoor activities, he occasionally rode A.T.V.s, Ms. Wynn said. The day of the accident, he and Mr. Veitch were riding with Mr. Veitch’s brother, Thomas Veitch, also a Montauk commercial fisherman.
The two families have been keeping in contact and see each other at the hospital. “We’ll be back to see him,” Tom Veitch said of Mr. Sjoman, adding that his son has been asking to see him too but hasn’t been able to yet.
Donations can also be made to Henry Sjoman by mail, in care of Vanessa Wynn, Mr. Sjoman’s sister, at 80 Orchid Drive, Kings Park 11754. No formal fund has been created yet for Mr. Veitch.