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Reese hanging on after crash

By Jolene Farley
Steen resident Anthony Reese, 20, is in critical but stable condition at Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D. Reese was injured in a head-on collision four miles south of Luverne Friday, June 29.

Reese suffers from a broken left arm and shoulder, a right leg broken in two places and a left leg broken knee to ankle. Both his spleen and gall bladder have been removed, and his kidney and heart are bruised, according to family friend Cory Nowka.

Reese's liver shuts down intermittently so he will undergo surgery to finish repairing organs damaged in the crash and to determine the cause of his liver problems.

Reese has not given up the fight, according to Nowka. He is in a coma but moves his head and eyes when spoken to. Family members and friends say it is something they take day by day.

Reese's vehicle, a 1997 Jeep Cherokee, was totaled in the accident. If Reese had been wearing a seat belt the crash would have been fatal, according to Nowka. "If Tony had been wearing a seatbelt he would have been killed," said Nowka. "Both legs would have been crushed."

The driver of the other vehicle, Ralph Edward Kingery, 48, was pronounced dead at the scene. Mary Theresa Elliot, 41, was transported to the Luverne Hospital, then airlifted to Sioux Valley Hospital, Sioux Falls, S.D. She died of head and internal injuries on Friday, June 29.

Reese has received flowers and a sympathy card from the family of the two crash victims.

The Reese family wants to thank a truck driver who called in the accident. Nowka credits him with saving Reese's life. He said if emergency personnel hadnÕt arrived when they did, Reese would not have made it.

The truck driver called in a detailed report of the accident, warning the Luverne emergency staff of the severity of the crash and the number of victims.

Although only family is allowed to visit Reese, a tablet is available to write notes on which are read to Reese periodically. "It lets him know who is there to see him and that people are thinking of him," said Nowka.

Letters or cards can be sent to Tony Reese, c/o Cory Nowka, 3068 Presentation Ct., Sioux Falls, SD 57104, or visit Reese's family at the Avera McKennan Intensive Care Unit waiting room.
Alan Reese, Steen, and Judy Reese are TonyÕs parents.

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