MAQUOKETA, Iowa — One Iowa farmer faces over $200,000 in medical expenses after a ton of hay pinned him between a skid loader last week, according to his daughter.
Bruce Manning, 61, raises cattle in Maquoketa. While working on his farm last week, about 2,000 pounds of hay fell from above him and pinned him between a skid loader.
Thankfully, his wife Gloria called first responders to take him to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
The accident left Bruce with three breaks in his neck and 11 rib fractures, according to his daughter Brenda Wallace. It also left him with a huge medical bill.
"I don't know my dad's whole financial situation, other than I know he doesn't have health insurance," Brenda explained.
Brenda said her brother called her with the news after her dad was admitted to the emergency room. She drove straight to the hospital from Des Moines to meet them there.
"It was breath-taking. It was shocking," Brenda said.
Hospital staff allowed Bruce to speak to his daughter for just a moment.
"He told me he thought he was gonna die, and he told everybody "good bye." So that was hard," Brenda said.
One intensive care unit stay and a major surgery later, Bruce is on the road to recovery.
"As soon as they took the tubes out of him in the ICU unit, because he was intubated, the first thing that he did was start yelling at the nurses," Brenda chuckled.
"But I guess that was kind of my sign that, you know, he's gonna be okay," she said.
"He's definitely stubborn. He's a Manning, so," Brenda said.
Brenda also said that he could be out of the hospital as soon as Tuesday, however he's going to face thousands of dollars in medical expenses.
That's why Brenda is raising money to help her parents get through this.
As of Monday evening, she's helped raised $765.