Snowstorm community hero Kelly Garner
From the Jan. 28 snowstorm came heroes, one of which was 48-year-old Vestavia resident Kelly Garner. When the icy roads turned into a gridlock, Garner began helping stranded motorists near the Walmart Neighborhood Market shopping center on U.S. 31.
Garner’s oldest sister, Charlotte Garner Carter, said that Garner has been a Type 1 diabetic since he was 9 years old. He becomes confused, disoriented and repeats his words when he becomes stressed and his blood glucose levels drop.
“Kelly had spent the whole day assisting motorists and, knowing him, he did not tend to himself first,” Carter said. “When he called home at 7 p.m. and said he was headed home, his 15-year-old-son Tyler said Dad’s sugar must be low because he was repeating the same sentence over and over, and told them that he was leaving the Walmart Market.”
Garner did not make it home that Tuesday evening. His Panorama Drive neighbors, Steve and Shelia Bendall, Mike Schofner, John Ellis and Mark Thompson formed a search team. It was Schofner who spotted Garner first at the bottom of a 40-foot-deep ravine near the Library in the Forest. He yelled out to Garner asking if it was him, and Garner opened his eyes. Schofner immediately called for help, and Bendall slid down the ravine while his wife, Sheila, went to find blankets.
With the help of the Vestavia Hills Fire Department, they were able to carry Garner out of the ravine.
“It was a team effort in carefully moving him from that forest of trees, large rocks and hilly terrain,” Carter said. “They got him to Vestavia resident Charlie Vines’ [all-terrain vehicle] and got him the rest of the way out to Highway 31 where the ambulance with snow chains waited to take him to the ER.”
Carter said it is assumed that since Garner lives on Panorama Drive he cut across the highway and headed through the trails near Vestavia Hills Elementary School Central and the Library in the Forest.
“Since the sidewalk was covered in snow and ice, and since there are not any guardrails between the sidewalk and that 40-foot drop, we assume he fell because of many factors,” Carter said.
On Friday, Jan. 31, Garner underwent surgery on his thoracic spine at UAB.
“It was rebuilt with rods and screws using pieces of his other vertebra,” Carter said. “After the three-hour surgery, the surgeon said that considering the amount of damage to his vertebra it was nothing short of a miracle that he did not have complete spinal cord damage. So for that, we are certainly grateful.”
Garner’s injuries included the broken T8 vertebra, bleeding on the brain, five broken ribs on the left and two on the right, and broken bones in his foot. On Feb. 7 he was moved from intensive care unit to the step-down unit and from there he will be moved to Spain Rehabilitation Center for a minimum of two weeks to learn to walk and fine tune his motor skills.
Garner received surprise visits from professional football players Antonio Langham and Bobby Humphrey, who formerly played for the Crimson Tide.
“Langham heard about his story and wanted to come up and ‘shake the hand of my hero Kelly Garner,’” Carter said. “It was very touching.”
Humphrey brought Garner an autographed football signed by himself, University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban, Jay Barker and Humphrey’s son, Marlon Humphrey.
Garner and his wife, Melissa, have two children, Tyler and Mitchell. Garner is the youngest of five children and has a twin sister, Shelly. To donate or help the Garner family during this time, please email Shelia Bendall at Bendall5608@bellsouth.net. Donations may also be made to the Kelly Garner Benefit Fund set up at Regions Bank at 1900 University Blvd.