Linh Ta

lta@dmreg.com

James Foley’s memories have slowly been returning to him since he was critically injured during RAGBRAI in July.

The 67-year-old Florida man remembers being with friends and family while participating in his 16th RAGBRAI.

He remembers pitching his tent and getting ready to sleep at a campground in Shenandoah.

He also remembers being life-flighted to Omaha, as medical workers rushed to save his life after a drunken driver hit and dragged him in his tent.

Now, after nearly two months of surgeries, scary moments and recovery at Creighton University Medical Center, Foley is back with family at a hospital in Jacksonville, Fla., as they wait to see if he can go to a rehabilitation center.

“His memory is coming back to him every day,” said Adam Foley, one of James’ three children. “We haven’t really talked specifics about anything, it’s more like ‘Hey, I’m happy you’re alive,’ and he’s adamant, ‘It wasn’t my day.’”

Foley was sleeping in his tent at the 59er Motel and Campground in Shenandoah at about 11:30 p.m. July 24 when a pickup truck hauling a trailer hit and dragged him and his tent nearly 50 feet, causing life-threatening injuries, according to police.

Danny Cardin, 55, of Homer, La., was charged with serious injury by vehicle, leaving the scene of a serious injury accident and operating while under the influence-first offense, according to court documents.

According to a criminal complaint, a short time after Foley was life-flighted to Creighton, deputies noticed a piece of a tent stuck to Cardin’s truck at the campsite. Officers spoke with Cardin, and at first, he denied any wrongdoing. He later admitted to drinking and driving the truck. He told officers he hit some debris, but “did not think it was a tent with someone occupying it,” according to the criminal complaint.

Officers noted Cardin’s eyes were bloodshot and watery. They noted that his speech was slurred, mumbled and accented. He was also having a hard time standing.

Cardin was transported to the Shenandoah Police Department where he declined to do field sobriety or breath tests without an attorney. After a search warrant was issued, his blood was drawn at the Shenandoah Hospital. He had a blood alcohol level of .161, nearly twice the legal limit, according to the criminal complaint.

Cardin has plead not guilty to the charges, according to court documents. A call to his lawyer was not immediately answered.

For the Foley family, the road to recovery has been a long one. Foley had his own lawn mowing business in Jacksonville that's been on hold, and Terry Foley, his wife, has been by his side the entire time.

“It seems like it’s been a year, but it’s only been a few weeks and we’re getting close to two months now since the accident,” Adam Foley said.

At Creighton, James Foley underwent eight surgeries, ranging from a tracheotomy to a hip replacement, to repairing a fractured pelvis. For more than a month, he was under sedation.

Now, he can speak and eat on his own again. He gets a little bit of physical therapy in his bed each day, said his son.

On Sept. 7, Foley was flown back home to Jacksonville.

Last weekend, Adam Foley said he was about to watch NFL football again with his dad. His mom is able to cook for him again and regain a sense of normalcy.

“It was fun to get to sit there and do that again with my dad," Adam Foley said. "That was kind of just like a happy moment for me."

Even after enduring the traumatic incident, Adam Foley and the rest of his dad's friends and family are ready to see him back at RAGBRAI next year.

“He said, ‘We’ll be back there next year,’” Adam Foley said. “This is another speed bump, and once he gets better, even if he has to build a sidecar on my bicycle, I’ll pedal with him across the state.”

To help

To help James Foley and his family with expenses, visit his GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/2gb2j8c.