ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) — Dave Geary, an Escondido veteran, describes his survival as "miraculous" after a motorcycle ride with an American Legion group left him paralyzed.
“God was definitely protecting me,” said Geary.
From inside a hospital, Geary, 66, spoke about the motorcycle ride that changed his life.
A photo shows Geary, an Air Force veteran, alongside two other American Legion members on the morning of the incident in mid-March. They were preparing to ride to Arizona for a fundraiser before assisting in escorting the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall to El Cajon.
Hours later, just outside Yuma, Arizona, Geary was riding on Interstate 8, just behind the other two riders.
“Heavy wind, headwind. All of a sudden, the wind shifted. I felt like my bike was being blown from right to left. I tried to control it. Next thing I know, I was blown right off the road,” said Geary.
Geary, who was wearing a helmet, said he flew about 100 feet off the bike, eventually landing hard on his shoulder.
“Very scared, not knowing what was going on. Not knowing why I couldn’t move,” said Geary.
Geary was airlifted to a San Diego hospital and given the sobering diagnosis: a severed spinal cord. He was paralyzed from the chest down.
“It was a shocker … not the shock of not walking, but more the shock of having to have people help you … I’ve had many emotional days,” he said.
Geary said included in those feelings, being grateful to be alive. Doctors told him he was fortunate.
“They said it was a miracle,” he said.
Geary, who owns a computer repair shop, plans to keep running it.
"I draw my strengths from God, my children, my friends, my community,” said Geary.
That community has surfaced in the form of a steady stream of visitors, cards and other support.
“It's a whole different life. God gave me a second chance, so I'm going to go forward … I'm here for a reason,” said Geary.
A Gofundme campaign has been set up to help Geary with medical and other expenses.
