A man who survived a horrific forklift accident has bravely shared a shocking photo from the day that changed his life forever.
Loren Schauers was only 18 when a tragic accident occurred while he was working as a laborer in September 2019.
Schauers was operating a forklift across a bridge in the U.S. when it suddenly veered off course, sending him plunging 50 feet to the ground. Although he survived the fall, the four-ton vehicle landed on top of him, pinning him to the ground and causing catastrophic injuries. Remarkably, Loren was fully conscious throughout the entire ordeal.
With his pelvis completely crushed, Schauers made the difficult but brave decision to undergo a hemicorporectomy—an operation in which everything below his waist was amputated—to save his life. Reflecting on the decision, Loren explained, “It wasn’t a hard choice to have half of my body amputated—it was basically a choice of living or dying.”
Now, years after the accident, Loren continues to share his journey and has posted images from the devastating moment. The photos show the forklift overturned on the side of a steep hill, with Loren trapped beneath it. On Instagram, he pointed out: “If you look closely in the second photo, you can see me still pinned under the forklift. Last photo is exactly what type it was I’m sure of.”
At the time, Loren’s girlfriend, now-wife, Sabia Reiche, was repeatedly told by doctors that he wouldn’t survive. She was forced to say her goodbyes six times as he fought for his life. Miraculously, Loren defied the odds and survived, though the road to recovery has been long and difficult.
Recalling the accident, Loren said, “I was conscious throughout everything, so I actually watched as the forklift fell on top of me and crushed my body. Every medical professional I come across is pretty amazed by everything, especially with the story that comes along with my injuries.”
Loren and Sabia now document their life together on a YouTube channel, where they share their experiences. In a Q&A video, the couple was asked an invasive question about their intimate life. Sabia responded firmly, saying it was “disrespectful” to ask such things. “A question we get repeatedly is how do we have sex and how do we become intimate. That is a very personal question that we are never going to answer or allude to as it’s very disrespectful,” she said. “You wouldn’t ask a random couple on the street how they have sex, and just because our life circumstances are different, it doesn’t give people the right to ask.”
