On August 6, 2005, Arthur Moss III, left home to join a group of nine friends heading to Sturgis, South Dakota, to fulfill a lifelong dream. By the time he got to Utah, that dream had turned into a nightmare. Riding the 1999 Honda Shadow Aero he had customized himself, Moss and others were completing a pass, when suddenly, with no signal, a Chevy truck towing a horse trailer traveling in front of the group of motorcyclists, turned left in front of them, causing the drivers to scatter around to avoid collision. Moss was forced head-on into the horse trailer, at approximately 40MPH.
Luckily for Moss, two LA County EMT's were riding with the group, and their quick thinking and command presence saved his life. "They instinctively knew that Arthur's neck was broken and that he had sustained a severe brain injury," said Lisa (Eichenlaub) Moss, Arthur's wife of 18 years. At the EMT's insistence, Moss was flown immediately to the closest trauma center in Salt Lake City, UT. Moss lay in a deep coma; teetering between life and death as family members from the Victor Valley area in CA journeyed to Utah, fearing the worst.
Within days, a mass email posting was going to more than 300 people in the US and foreign countries concerned about Arthur and establishing prayer groups on behalf of Arthur.
After Arthur spent 28 days in the first stage of coma (GLASCOW Coma scale) at the hospital in Utah, doctors determined Moss was stable enough to airlift transport him to an acute care facility in CA to continue his recovery for the next three months. During this period of time, Arthur continued his recovery as he slowly progressed through coma stages 2,3 & 4.
Next, he was transported to a sub-acute transitional facility where he continued rehabilitation and therapy for the next three months. During this period of time, Arthur transitioned between stages 4 & 5 of the coma stages.
Early March 2006, Arthur was discharged to his home to his family who immediately became his full time caregivers. Arthur was still working through stages 4 & 5 of the coma scale.
His first two weeks home, he lapsed into a continual sleep semi-coma like condition. Fear of dehydration, his family rushed him to an Emergency Hospital, CA where doctors confirmed he had been over medicated.
Since this, Arthur has been taken to dozens of specialists attempting to relieve many of the brain injury related problems: Neurologists, Internists, Psychiatrists, Urologists.....etc.
Arthur's wife, Lisa, is now performing the multiple roles of wife, caregiver, sole family financial support, mother, sister, doctor, psychologist, pharmacologist, psychiatrist, TBI researcher, TBI book reader.........
Arthur Moss III, President of Automatic Heating & Air in Victorville, CA is something of a rarity. Arthur's father, Arthur Moss Jr (Art)and his business partner established their business in 1952. Art and his wife Pat took over management of the business during the 1970's, and Arthur began working there as a teenager. Arthur (III) and his wife Lisa began managing the business in 1998 when Art & Pat retired.
"The vacation to Sturgis was the first Arthur had taken in 17 years, he lives and breathes our family business," said Lisa Moss. "Even as his brain recovered through the coma stages, he recited information pertaining to jobs he believes he is working on."
The Moss' have three children: Nicole (16), Arthur IV (14) and Courtney (12) are their ages at the time of Arthur's injury.
As Arthur struggles daily to recover, family, friends, and company employees work to carry on. "Our employees are the glue that holds us together," said Lisa Moss, "they have all taken on additional job responsibilities and even visit Arthur on the weekends while in the care facilities."
While the stress of Moss' accident on the family has been tremendous, the financial burden is also severe. The owner of the truck involved in the accident, and his son, the driver, were both uninsured. Concerned about the Moss family's ability to deal with medical expenses related to the accident, friends organized a benefit car show,
THE ARTHUR MOSS III BENEFIT SHOW & SHINE,
which took place on Sunday October 30, 2005 at the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds in Victorville, CA. This was a free event for the public and "show and shine" participants were asked for a $10.00 donation entry. Live music, theme t-shirts, raffles and food vendors were featured. More than 300 entries were recorded at this event! Cars, boats, motorcycles and pickups all rallied in the spirit of community in support of the Moss/Eichenlaub families.
Arthur's progress is slow, but steady, and encouraged by friends who pray, send cards, and travel many hours to visit him. At the time of the writing of this article (November 2005) Arthur can stand now, with assistance and continues to struggle with recovery from a traumatic brain injury (TBI), broken C1 vertebrae in his neck, cognitive and memory deficits, along with hearing and vision impairments" said Lisa, "we have a long road ahead, but the doctors are very hopeful for a good prognosis."
Email postings keep family and friends up to date on Moss' progress. "Our postings go across the globe," said Tanya Ison, Arthur's older sister who, along with her husband Rod, manage the posting and two have established THE ARTHUR MOSS FAMILY FUND at the MEMBERS OWN FEDERAL CREDIT UNION located on Seventh St. in Victorville, Ca. Anyone may make donations to help the family with medical expenses.
In addition, Lisa & Tanya are working to establish a Support Group "Brainstorming 4 Us" in the High Desert communities to serve the families who recognize the desperate need for local TBI support. For more information about this new support group, please contact them: info@brainstorming4us.com.
It's amazing the number of people's lives Arthur and the Moss family have touched over the years," said Jim Gorman, longtime resident, fellow Victor Valley businessman and husband of Arthur's younger sister Robin, "it's great to see some of that coming back around as a hardworking guy struggles just to get back to his life."