ThinkFirst Iowa VIP (Voice for Injury Prevention) Speaker
Isaiah Krull
At 16 years of age, Isaiah Krull was a normal, active teenage boy. He played football, was an honor student and had dreams of becoming a commercial airline pilot.
But one bad decision eliminated his chances of a flying a plane, graduating at the top of his class, or ever playing football again. In the blink of an eye, this healthy, energetic young man was reduced to a vegetative state with little hope of recovery.
On July 24, 2009, Isaiah was working on a detasseling crew. When the group moved to a new field, Isaiah jumped into the car of a friend. The two front seats were taken, so Isaiah jumped into the back seat.
Isaiah and his friends followed the bus to the next field. The bus kicked up dust on the gravel road making it difficult for the boys to see into the distance. Suddenly, Krull remembers shouting to his friend, “The bus! The bus! It’s stopped right in front of us!” The driver slammed on his brakes, swerved and hit the left side of the bus. The driver had minor injuries. The front seat passenger injured his neck, but made a full recovery. Krull was not so fortunate. Unlike the front seat passengers, Krull had not put on his seat belt.
“We weren’t going that far, only a mile and a half,”Krull said. “So I thought nothing could happen.”
But it did happen. When the car slammed into the back of the bus, the force threw 220-pound Krull into the crumpled roof of the car. The impact of the crash ripped, tore and bruised the nerves and blood vessels in Krull’s brain. Paramedics arrived at the scene and transported Krull via helicopter to the University of Iowa hospitals.
Krull was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury and was not expected to live. He was in a coma for 10 days. After a month long stay at the University of Iowa Hospitals, Krull was sent to Chicago for rehabilitation. At the time of his arrival in Chicago, Krull couldn’t walk, feed himself or go to the bathroom on his own. After 45 days of rehabilitation, Krull returned to his home near Shell Rock, Iowa. He was able to walk slowly, eat, and speak on a limited basis. His rehab continued another 7 months were he worked to regain his balance and better use of his right hand.
Krull’s accident forced him to miss most of his junior year. In the fall of his senior year he returned to school full time and was able to walk with his classmates during graduation ceremonies.
Krull strong faith inspires him to repeat his safety message as often as possible. “The doctors didn’t think I would make it. But I firmly believe the Lord had more for me to do. And speaking to kids about wearing their seatbelts and being safe is just one of the things the Lord has in mind for me.”