Earl Blijd

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The accident, the first weeks, rehabilitation and the comeback.

On Saturday, May 6th, 1995, Earl was on his way to a tournament in Gent, Belgium, together with three youthful members of Bao Trieu.

Near Putten (The Netherlands) on the A28 high way, Earl, behind the wheel, got caught in a chain collision in extremely dense fog. In the enormous chaos and damage which soon resulted, in which twenty vehicles were involved and in which three people lost their lives, Earl sat jammed tightly in his seat before the rescue team could free him. The three other passengers were able to leave the car by themselves and were, miraculously, only slightly injured.

This picture shows the wrecked car after the accident. Critically injured, Earl was transported to the University Hospital of Utrecht (The Netherlands). Here, severe brain damage was diagnosed, resulting in the deep coma he was in. Moreover, he had sustained several other injuries and fractures: fractures of the skull base, fractured face (jaw-bone, cheek bones, orbit/eye socket and nasal bones), fracture of the left shoulder, fracture of the left humerus (part of the arm), fracture of the right knee cap, contusioned lungs and several severe bruises and cuts over the whole body.

Fortunately, after six days he awoke from that deep coma. On the 9th day after the accident a nine and a half hour operation was performed, reconstructing his face and stabilizing the fractures in his left arm and right knee cap with threads and plates.

After having spent about three weeks in the intensive care department of the Utrecht University Hospital, Earl was transported to Groningen University Hospital, where a new operation followed after three weeks. This time it took 17 hours! This operation mainly focused on a renewed facial re-construction.

After another two weeks, on July 5th 1995, two months after the accident, he was able to move to the Beatrixoord rehabilitation center in Haren, near Groningen. He did not go to Haren, though, before having visited the Bao Trieu sports school, to the great pleasure and suprise of his pupils. He came in without wheel chair or crutches. He was even able to answer the traditional wushu greeting he received from his students, in the same traditional way.