Luce faces long road to recovery

After a tumultuous month since the tragic accident that caused Spencer Luce to be Life-Flighted to Casper, he is slowly making headway towards a recovery.

Spencer's father, Orvin Luce, said his son is "still in the woods," and his leg is in very bad shape. "He still has to go to the [Hot Springs County Memorial] hospital seven days a week for treatment, and he has to go to Casper once a week on top of that."

During his daily visits to the hospital, Spencer receives antibiotics and wound care. In Casper, a number of doctors perform follow-ups to make sure he is still on the path to a recovery.

"He's in pain all the time," Spencer's father said. "He's lost quite a bit of muscle in his leg," adding that his son," Probably has more muscle in his thumb than his leg." He still has two incisions open on his leg from his knee to his ankle, which originally led doctors to believe that his leg would have to be amputated. Upon further inspection by three other doctors, the decision to save the leg was made.

Spencer's father reported his son is, "Still in high spirits," during his recovery. "Hopefully he'll recover to walk again, but he won't walk like he used to."

Community members have rallied around Spencer following the accident, providing prayers, support, and even a new ramp at the front of their residence to make the daily trips to the hospital easier on the wheel chair-bound Spencer.

According to his father, a number of community members gathered to install the ramp while the family was in Casper for their weekly follow-up appointment. "Everybody's been pretty helpful," said Spencer's father. "I don't know how I'm ever going to thank everyone," he concluded.

Spencer was hit by a car just before 7 a.m. on Dec. 9 while walking at the intersection of North Sixth and Big Horn.

Spencer, who was wearing dark clothing at the time of the accident, was struck causing a badly fractured leg and other injuries.