A Second Chance at Life

First responders, including FlightCare nurse Katie Duncan, care for Tim Scott following an accident at his home in Berry Creek.

Hours after her father was pinned under a tree with life-threatening injuries, Sarah McFarland sat alone in the UC Davis emergency department. From the moment the news broke, the Enloe Medical Center charge nurse’s instinct kicked in, navigating the aftermath of the accident rather than processing the weight of it.

Then, McFarland looked up. Katie Duncan, a FlightCare nurse and longtime colleague, was there to greet her.

“That was the first time I lost it,” McFarland said. “When I saw her, I just thought ‘Thank God.’”

Duncan was part of the team dispatched to Tim Scott’s property in Berry Creek, where the 63-year-old retired firefighter suffered a broken back and scapula, a traumatic brain injury, and other complications. FlightCare transported him first to Enloe, then to UC Davis due to the severity of his condition.

Scott’s injuries left him paralyzed. Still, he is determined to make the best of his situation, fueled by the support of his loved ones and the guidance of his physical and occupational therapists at Enloe.

Routine Chore Takes a Turn

A year removed from the accident, Scott doesn’t fully remember how that day unfolded. It started as a routine tree cutting. Fire from a burn pile had crept up a hollow oak tree, and he wanted to take it down as a precaution. But the towering oak became entangled with nearby trees, and as the oak fell, a massive madrone broke free, whipped around and connected with him in the middle of his back.

“I personally remember cutting the tree and being proud of where it fell,” Scott said. The next thing he can remember is waking up two weeks later at UC Davis in front of his wife, Carrie, and daughter. “That madrone just didn’t want to cooperate.”

When the call came in to FlightCare, Duncan didn’t have a lot of information to work with.

She and the team arrived on scene, quickly assessed that Scott was in critical condition, and moved to get him to Enloe as soon as they could. It wasn’t until Scott was flown to UC Davis that she realized who she was caring for.

“It’s the blessing and the curse of this job,” Duncan said. “You want to take care of people in this community, but it adds a lot of hurt when you know them. It was very emotional.”

McFarland, meanwhile, was on a trip to Sonora when the situation began to unfold. She re-routed to UC Davis, unsure of the exact condition of her father. McFarland saw her mother — who had flown with Scott to Enloe then down to Davis — briefly before she was pulled back in to be with him, leaving McFarland alone in an unfamiliar hospital.

“Honestly, when I first saw Sarah my heart kind of dropped,” Duncan said. “She was in pain. I just wanted to help alleviate any fear I could, so she could support her father and her mom.”

Scott’s life changed dramatically, but he still has it. According to him, there’s no shortage of folks to thank for that: his wife, who acted immediately to call for help, his neighbors, volunteer firefighters who were among the first on the scene to stabilize him until help arrived, his family, who sprang into action to be there for him, and a dedicated team of first responders, who worked diligently to get him the care he needed.

“Thank God for that helicopter and Katie getting me down there,” Scott said. “I broke three vertebrae in my neck, five in my back. If the care at the scene hadn’t been as good as it was, it could have been a lot worse.”

Long Road to Recovery

After nearly three weeks in different wings at UC Davis, Scott was transferred to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center for 30 days of inpatient rehabilitation.

It was, in Scott’s words, a “very long” stay across various medical facilities. The rehabilitation didn’t end there, either. Now that he’s back home in Berry Creek, Scott attends weekly rehab at Enloe.

Through every stage of the process, every appointment, Scott never complained. From his perspective, he has no reason to. He’s thankful to be alive. Anything better than that, he said, was a plus. “I’ve experienced a lot in my life, and I feel very fulfilled with what I’ve accomplished,” he said.

McFarland said none of her father’s recovery would work without his attitude. Personally, she can’t shake the feeling this shouldn’t have happened to him. He’s worked too hard to be dealt this hand, she said, and he could easily have seen things differently.

“He’s always told us he didn’t want to live if he couldn’t do the things he loved. And I was always afraid of that,” McFarland said. “But he’s never expressed anything but gratitude. He’s almost a better version of himself because he’s been through something like this.”

Getting Back to Normal

For Scott, part of his positive perspective stems from his plans to return to as normal a life as possible. He’s building his strength to transition into an Action Trackchair, an all-terrain wheelchair that will allow him to navigate his 40-acre wooded property once again.

He wants to be able to travel to his children’s homes, visit his grandchildren and watch them grow up. He even plans to ski and bike again with the help of adaptive equipment.

“We’ll learn and continue to enjoy life as much as possible,” Scott said. “The most important thing is to not take things for granted, and live life as full as you can every day.”

More than anything, Scott said he wouldn’t be here without his team of supporters. His wife has been his primary caregiver since the accident, taking care of his daily routine, stocking supplies and equipment, scheduling appointments, and handling finances.

“I’m a lucky person. We’ve been married 43 years and never in our wildest dreams did we expect our life to change like this,” Scott said. “Carrie is the most important person in my life. Without her, this would be an incredible hardship.”

Carrie isn’t alone in her husband’s corner. His children and grandchildren, community members, and a dedicated group of caregivers have been there every step of the way. None of this, he said, works without each one of them.

“That’s the one thing that makes me the most emotional,” Scott said, pausing. “That’s everything. That support system is what gets me through this. I don’t know what I would do without them.”