World News – UK – Teenager decides to amputate lower half of body to save life

A teenager who was involved in a terrible forklift accident survived after making the bold decision to have the lower half of his body amputated.

Loren Schauers, 19, was driving a forklift over a bridge when it fell 50 feet to the ground and pinned him under the four-ton vehicle.

He was conscious the entire time and saw his right arm get bruised and the lower half of his body tucked under the vehicle.

The worker opted for a hemicorperectomy – which means everything below his waist was removed to save him.

His girlfriend Sabia, now 21, received devastating news that he would not survive and said goodbye to him six times after being told he would not live another day.

He did it however, and the couple, who had been together for 18 months at the time of the accident, said the whole thing brought them closer together and they got engaged earlier this year.

Loren of Great Falls, Montana said, « Getting half of my body amputated wasn’t a difficult decision – it was basically a choice to live or die.

« Since Sabia promises to stay by my side no matter what and my whole immediate family is around me, it really wasn’t a difficult choice for me! »

The accident occurred in September 2019 when he was forced to the edge of a bridge by passing cars, which then collapsed under him.

Then he tried to jump off the forklift when it fell, but his leg got caught in the seat belt and pulled him down the steep hill. It rolled three times before landing on top of him.

Doctors initially thought they could save his lower extremities and perform surgeries that would leave his right hip, genitals, and left thigh. But they found that his pelvis was too squashed. They also tried to save his sperm so he could have children in the future, but it was not viable.

Sabia said: « Within the first month he was in the hospital, there were many warm, tearful and sad conversations.

« The first time we said goodbye was before his surgery, but he still had his intubator with him so he wrote to us as he couldn’t speak.

« The night before his operation, he wrote ‘I love you’ on a piece of paper because it could have been our last night together. I still have this piece of paper today.

« Doctors would say he was going to die, we would say goodbye and then he wouldn’t die.

« It sucked, to be clear, we hated it. His health teased us like « haha we are fine now but we are going to die soon so you guys will all be sad » but then he was alive. « 

His health improved dramatically – doctors thought he would be in the hospital for at least 18 months, but after three or four weeks in rehab he was outside before he could go home.

Currently unemployed, Loren has received compensation but wants to be a Twitch influencer – a live video streaming service.

Earlier this year, Loren suggested to Sabia and the engaged couple that on their anniversary, the 17th. Married July, either 2021 or 2022.

Loren said, « My best advice to anyone going through this is that you can’t focus on the things that you can’t have and that you live your life to the full with what you have Trains have to live. « 

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford University (don’t ask), she went into PR and then into the world of music. After working on festivals and events for a few years, she returned to her roots. In her spare time, Amelia enjoys music, Liverpool FC, and spends time with her cat Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected]

Amputation, accident, forklift