Football player hurt in accident
A Waynesburg University football player is recovering in a Pittsburgh hospital after his left leg was amputated following a rollover crash in Blair County last month that killed two people and injured another.
Kurt Detwiler, 21, was injured in the early-morning crash May 23 along Route 22 about eight miles east of Altoona and is now being treated at UPMC-Presbyterian hospital.
“He’s doing really, really well today,” his aunt, Chris Weidig, said by phone from the hospital Thursday.
She said doctors amputated Detwiler’s left leg and are working to save his right one. He was removed from a ventilator this week and is no longer sedated, she said. His parents, Tammy and Tony, have been by his side since the crash and Waynesburg University President Doug Lee visited last weekend, along with head football coach Rick Shepas and several teammates.
“They’ve been more than gracious,” Weidig said of the university’s support. “They’ve been just so helpful and caring and in contact with him since day one. Coach assured him that there’s no player left behind and they will find a place for him somewhere. They treat him like family.”
The business administration major has played linebacker for the university football team for three years and was preparing for his senior season.
Shepas visited Detwiler again at the hospital Thursday and was encouraged by his progress. He said the “close-knit group of guys” on the team will continue to support him throughout his recovery process.
“We take it pretty seriously to take care of our guy and this will be no different, whether a guy is injured on or off the football field,” Shepas said. “He will be a vibrant and viable part of our coaching staff and team to make a contribution. This recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. We’re in it for the long haul.”
Weidig said Detwiler is in “good” spirits and that he recognizes family and friends. Doctors are continuing to operate on his abdomen and right leg, she said, and there is no timeline for him to be released form the hospital.
State police in Hollidaysburg said Detwiler was injured in the single-car rollover crash that killed the driver, Joshua Fay, 26, and a passenger, Allison Edwards, 21, both of Blair County. Another passenger, Elijah Fay, 20, suffered major injuries in the crash, police said.
Detwiler is originally from Williamsburg, Pa., near where the crash occurred and various fundraisers are planned there to help with his recovery, Weidig said. A GoFundMe website was launched for him on May 27 and had raised nearly $7,000 by Thursday afternoon. The link can be found at www.gofundme.com/vm8z67w.
Weidig said donations can also be made payable to a fund in Kurt Detwiler’s name through Clearfield Bank and Trust and sent to her home at 530 W. Second St., Williamsburg, PA 16693. She said the family likely will need help in paying for a prosthetic leg as Detwiler recovers.
Staff writer Chelsea Dicks contributed to this story.