Stephen Bradford headed north on Harrison Avenue in Butte, riding his Kawasaki motorcycle. In a split second, sometime around 7:40 p.m. on July 3, Bradford’s life changed forever. He and his bike collided with a Ford Ranger pickup crossing Harrison from west to east.
After emergency trauma treatment at Intermountain Health St. James Hospital, Bradford was flown to Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings.
Butte police said the pickup’s driver, Patrick Burke, 58, of Butte, was booked on charges of driving while under the influence of alcohol, second offense. He was not injured. Police said it appears both speed and alcohol were involved in the collision. Its circumstances remain under investigation.
Bradford, 28, was interviewed by phone Tuesday. He spoke from his hospital bed in Billings and was clearly in pain during the conversation.
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The collision severely fractured Bradford’s left leg. He said he is missing six inches of femur and the knee is shattered.
Bradford said he has wrestled with options presented by surgeons. For a time, he seriously considered having surgeons amputate his left leg above the knee because operations meant to repair the leg seemed fraught with the prospect of failure and years of pain.
“I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life in pain, just to have the chance of failure making me lose my leg anyways,” he said.
Ultimately, he decided about mid-day Tuesday to elect a repair option, an intervention likely to require at least two more surgeries, he said.
He has worked for about three years for a FedEx Ground contractor as a local delivery driver in Deer Lodge.
Bradford has family in Harrison and will stay with them for a time. He said his apartment in Butte requires climbing stairs.
He was asked what his helped him cope during the past week.
“My daughter,” Bradford replied. “I was supposed to see her this week. It sucks.”
The daughter lives in Colorado with her mother, he said.
A GoFundMe account for Bradford has been established, and confirmed by GoFundMe, to help cover expenses and time away from work. To contribute, go to Fundraiser for Stephen Bradford by Griffin Brasher : Help for Stephen Bradford (gofundme.com)