Dan Prebe Injured in Snowmobile Accident

I just heard today that Dan Prebe, current AMA amateur national champion in the 200cc class and president of Indianhead M/C in Red Wing, MN, has suffered serious injuries as the result of a snowmobile accident. Dan is a great guy and a good friend, and very dedicated to the sport - he does more work for the M/C than the rest of us combined. He also owns and operates Prebe's Complete Auto Repair in Red Wing, MN.

I don't know everything about what happened, but from what I gather he highsided into a wooden barrier of some kind on a 90 degree corner. Sounds like his studs hooked and wouldn't turn... At this time, I'm afraid the outlook is...not what I was hoping for. Dan is paralyzed from the chest down...and the current indications from his doctors are that it likely will be permanent. He also has other injuries, such as damage to one of his lungs, but the main problem of course is his spine. He did not suffer any head injuries as far as I know - being a smart rider Dan is always in appropriate protective gear.

At this time Dan is in a hospital in Duluth, MN and will probably be there for some time. I understand that his medical insurance is pretty good, and at this time I don't believe donations are necessary. However, I am sure that Dan, his wife Wanda and children Jacob, Nathan, Aaron and Gabrielle would all appreciate a card in the mail showing support for the family and good wishes.

Doctors' predictions about the likelihood of recovery have been proven wrong before - let us hope that Dan can beat the odds and make a full recovery. In the meantime please keep Dan and the Prebe family in your thoughts...I'll post updates as information becomes available.

Update 2/27/03 - Dan went through surgery on Saturday for 10 hours, during which time the doctors inserted supports in his back. Damage to his lung was quickly fixed, and he is otherwise doing well now.

Plans are being made to move him to a hospital in the Twin Cities area, Abbott Northwestern, on March 3rd. Once that happens I'll post new contact information here.

Dan is blessed with a large, caring family and there's a lot of people pulling for him. I'm sure he's not been without someone in the room with him since he arrived at the hospital. Dan is one of those guys who is going to make the very best of his situation, and try to prove that odds can be beaten.

I'm told that Dan can be emailed at St. Luke's here, but only until March 2nd as he should be transferred thereafter.

Update 3/8/03 - Dan hasn't been transferred yet, as he got a case of pneumonia last week. He's pretty much over that now, and is slated to be transferred now on this coming Monday, March 10th. He will be transferred to Abbott Northwest hospital in Minneapolis - once he's down there I'll post new contact info.

Update 3/12/03 - Dan is now at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.

You can contact Dan at the rehab center there:

Dan Prebe

c/o Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Center

800 E. 28th St.

Minneapolis, MN 55407-3799

NOTE: Dan should be home by now - don't send anything more to the hospital...

Visitation hours are 5:00-8:00 PM during the week, noon to 6:00 PM on Saturdays and noon to 5:00 PM on Sundays.

Update 4/23/03 - Dan got a weekend pass for the Easter holiday, and we at Indianhead M/C were delighted to see him make an appearance. He and his family are in good spirits, and he was looking forward to getting to go home for good the middle of this week. The Prebes are very grateful for all the support and kind wishes they enjoyed during this trying period.

Stop by the Indianhead M/C events this year and Dan should be there - he plans on making all the events, and we'll be glad to have him there!

Update 9/20/03 - There's now a Dan Prebe Benefit Committee, and they're organizing a benefit event on 11/22/03 to assist with the ongoing medical costs. Take a look here.