Rob Freyvogel/Carbiliner #496

[manta22]

That is good news.

[SPARKY]

Rob we are with you as you start on this journey to reprogram yourself, we will say prayers we will remember what a truly nice committed person you are, we will think of and be thankful for your surviving and just getting opportunity to fight this battle   My buddy Courtney had a similar head injury and he had to watch it; more that 2 light beers and this is what would happen at the stoplight      yeppers he was the worlds cheapest drunk

[tauruck]

Thanks for the update. God Bless you Rob. 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[wheelrdealer]

Good to hear Rob is in the rehab and recovery stage. We are praying for as speedy a recovery as possible but more importantly a full recovery.

BR

[Peter Jack]

I'll echo Bill's message. I couldn't have put it any better. My best wishes to Sue and the rest of the family and team.

Pete

[Seldom Seen Slim]

From Carbinite via Brandon Barnhart and Jonathon Stein all on Facebook:

"Carbinite LSR
50 mins (ago) ?

We want to thank all of you for not pestering us with questions about what happened and respecting our time to deal with the important matters since the accident. It has definitely been a roller coaster since the crash in September, but we are finally ready to share a few details. There was one video, from a phone at a distance, that has given us the most insight. Just before Rob loses control, he passed between 2 quarter mile flags in 2 seconds, so his speed was probably approaching 450 mph. The severity of the crash did not allow us to retrieve any data or video from the car itself. It seems that the cause of the accident was a left rear blown tire. After the tire blew, the car pulled to the left. Once the car was sideways the air lifted the car, coming down nose first and then tumbling. The majority of the car disintegrated and left debris over a mile. The cage however, was completely intact and hardly even bent, preserving Rob?s life. His body barely had a scratch, but if you have been following the posts you understand the seriousness of the brain injury caused from the force associated with crashing at that speed. Goodyear thoroughly investigated and determined the tire did not blow due to centrifugal failure, side load failure or overheating. What is left of the wheel wells does not show signs of over expansion when comparing the 2 sides. There is not enough of the cap left to determine exactly what caused the tire to blow, but most likely we hit some type of debris on the salt. We say that not to blame anyone, as we understood the risks involved, but want to help make racing on the salt as safe as possible in the future. The USFRA, first responders and the entire racing community were amazing immediately following the crash and have continued to show incredible support to Rob, Sue and our team. Rob continues his rehab, and while very frustrated at times, he continues to make progress as he learns how to talk, walk and do all the things he remembers and desires to do again. He does not remember the crash, but the rest of his memory is pretty much fully restored. He is still in a full time brain injury rehab program in Pittsburgh, working on speech, physical and occupational therapy."

[racergeo]

  Iv'e gotten to know Rob pretty well and feel that he is probably very upset knowing his car is destroyed and his LSRing career is over. He called me a couple days before his fateful trip and excitedly told me about getting off the dyno with 1000 more HP as a result of his new turbos. He had every expectation of going at least 450 if not close to the 500#. I believe he would have eventually done it.   George

[manta22]

Thanks for the update. The last number I heard on the radio was "432" and Rob was still accelerating hard. The most important thing is that Rob is recovering.

[gray63]

I am very encouraged by Robs progress. Our prayers have been answered to this point.
More prayer will be needed.

[SPARKY]

Brandon do you recall the width of the rear wheels?

[desotoman]

Here is the latest post by Sue on how Rob is doing. Keep up the good work Rob.

Tom G.

Carbinite LSR
February 17 at 6:32 AM ?

Hello friends!

I thought you might enjoy a picture of Rob in an environment that isn't covered in salt! My apologies for you not hearing directly from me while. Andy has been such a blessing to me and has taken over much of the task of updating everyone about Rob. My days are full and exhausting, leaving me little time for things that are important but not urgent.

As Andy said, thanks to everyone for being patient and respectful as we work through all of the details and obstacles surrounding Rob's recovery, including the cause of the accident. It has been a difficult and often painful process. Some of the close family and friends that have been able to visit posted observations about their visits. These are so encouraging for me to read. As I am sure you all realize, there is a lot that our family deals with on a daily basis that is not posted for privacy reasons, especially sensitive medical information. Andy and I are the only people that would share actual medical information as it is appropriate. We want to update you periodically because your support and prayers have helped to bring Rob to where he is today. I cannot express how appreciative I am for all of you.

Rob is in intensive brain injury rehab. He is getting therapies for many hours each day, and it is very tiring. While he is making progress, he is still very weak. An infection could cause his progress to stall, cause regression, or worse. The intensive therapies tire him, and he needs a lot of rest. Constant stimulation is not good for his brain either. The amazing rehab staff have rules in place for the benefit of all the patients on the rehab unit. We have been truly blessed with excellent medical care both at home and in Utah.

Rob has touched many people's lives, and in return many people want to see him. I understand that completely. I read your comments to him and remind him that he has people all over the world that are watching his progress, praying for his complete recovery, and continue to be touched by him ? just in a very different way. This really is a marathon and we are not even halfway to the finish. Every decision I make is with his recovery in mind, and not all decisions will be popular. One unpopular decision is that I have to limit visitors and ask that people do not pop-in unscheduled or ask for special visitation. Please understand I am not trying to be difficult, and I am certainly not unappreciative of everything that you have done for us. I am simply trying to clear the path for Rob to make as complete a recovery as possible.

Thank you,
Sue and family

https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/p720x720/86268076_2297142763720638_4269101070208204800_o.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_oc=AQklnWd4qd0hJXsQqgfjjIHVCar7j-CAv5NApBEFo-1c17nSGmQo-CObZUhw7YS-pa0&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-1.xx&_nc_tp=6&oh=ced23fe958368298761b6ff3405cacc4&oe=5E965243

[SPARKY]

Sue,  We are happy for you, your family and Rob that your love provides the mental toughness to make the hard decisions--- best wishes and prayers your way!!

[desotoman]

Great news from Andy. Rob is at home now. Keep up the good work Rob.

Tom G.

Carbinite LSR
March 21 at 7:48 AM ?

From Andy: Despite the craziness in the world around us, Rob is continuing to progress. He is out of full time rehab and at home. He will continue to do out-patient rehab as long as they stay open. So far so good! He is working on walking, smiles and laughs a lot (including laughing at himself), and contributes his thoughts on whatever is on his mind. He is still limited to eating thickened and pureed foods so still has a tube feed to make sure he gets all of his nutrients and hydration. Still much to work on to get back to his old self, but moving the right direction. The pandemic that is gripping the world obviously is on everyone's mind, and ours as well. The following video was shared with me recently. One of the great minds of the 20th century, CS Lewis, wrote a pamphlet in the midst of the fears of the world ending due to atomic war. If you replace "Atomic Age" with COVID-19, it speaks volumes for our situation today. And the illustrations make it fun! Take 15 minutes of your time (as you may have extra right now) and enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?

[johnneilson]

maybe this link    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FxYyGcLGQQ

[manta22]

Excellent news, Andy. God bless Rob & Sue.