Jon Troutner had just turned 19 in May of 1987 when he and a friend decided to climb a silo at a nearby farm in northwest Pennsylvania. He has no memory of the events leading up to or immediately after the fall. He remembers waking up in the hospital a day later. After climbing to a height of about 60 feet he fell. He landed face down, arms extended as if he were about to do a push up. His wrists were badly injured and later required two surgeries. He broke his pelvis in six places. His ribs, nose, and a vertebra were also broken. His friend rushed to a phone and called 911. Emergency responders were there quickly, as was his mother who had a short conversation with him. Though conscious at the time, he remembers none of this. At the hospital the doctors were unsure if he would ever walk again, yet he was up and about in a week and out of the hospital in two. He graduated with his high school class on schedule. Jon was in excellent shape. A high school wrestler, he had gone through Army boot camp the previous summer and was in the Army Reserve. He recovered fully and later chose to enter the Navy where he went through boot camp again and served in active duty. He is now a member of a fire department near the community where he fell. He is also an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). He is also working to become a medical attendant, in other words, a flight paramedic/flight nurse on a medical transport helicopter. As the 30th anniversary of his fall approaches he is planning on honoring the EMTs who helped to save his life.
The photo below shows Troutner holding a picture of himself in his Navy uniform.
Photo courtesy of Jon Troutner
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