Font Size

Colorado & Denver News

E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Patient Says Trooper, Plow Drivers Saved His Life

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

Recipient E-mail:*
- Your Name:*
- Your E-mail:*
Add a Message:
Send me a copy of this e-mail.

Type the characters in this picture:*

Click here to refresh with new letters

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

Print Share +

Apr 8, 2009 6:18 pm US/Mountain

Patient Says Trooper, Plow Drivers Saved His Life

Written by Kathy Walsh

Reporting
Kathy Walsh

DENVER (CBS4) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 2: Chuck Forbes and his wife, Ruth, credit a Wyoming state trooper and a convoy of plows for helping save his life.
CBS
Click to enlarge 2 of 2

Close

numSlides of totalImages

A man from Wyoming has a new liver and a new respect for state troopers and snowplow drivers.

Chuck Forbes credits a Wyoming state trooper and a convoy of plows for helping save his life.

"I know I've been blessed by God," said Forbes from his room at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora.

Forbes underwent a liver transplant Sunday. His doctors say he should now be cancer free.

On Saturday, the 59-year-old Forbes wasn't sure he would make it in time for the lifesaving transplant. Early that day, he got the call to come to the hospital. He'd been waiting a year and they finally had a liver for him. When Forbes and his wife, Ruth, left their home in Meeteetse, Wyo., they drove into a blizzard. Interstate 25 was closed at Wheatland, Wyo.

"When I saw the sign, road closed, I looked up and asked God why," said Forbes. "And I think he answered me with a whole bunch of nice people and truck drivers."

A Wyoming state trooper was the first to come to the rescue. Once Trooper Chuck Bloom realized the emergency was real, he started things rolling. He arranged a special escort of state snowplows.

"He said, 'There's going to be one truck coming by you in a few minutes,'" said Forbes."'You follow him.' Oh boy, so off we go."

The couple was passed off from plow to plow. They followed the taillights at about 15 miles an hour.

"I can understand why they shut down the road." said Ruth Forbes. "It was a terrible, terrible storm."

Eight plows and five hours later, they made it to Colorado, a gas station, and easily on to Aurora.

Chuck Forbes believes he would have died without Bloom and the helpful snowplow drivers. He plans to spend part of his time recovering in Colorado, thinking about what he can do to show his thanks.

Curious & Controversial News

You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.

Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.