Brandon Causey, a father of three and a beloved member of the Vail Valley community, suffered severe injuries following a dirt bike crash on Monday in Gypsum, Colorado. Causey was found unconscious on the road and was transported via Flight for Life to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction.
Medical examinations revealed that Causey sustained atlanto-occipital dislocation, a rare type of internal decapitation, where the ligaments between his skull base and spinal column separated. He also suffered multiple fractures to his vertebrae and ribs, a partially collapsed lung, and small pockets of bleeding in his brain.
On Tuesday, Causey underwent a five-and-a-half hour surgery to fuse his skull and spinal column. His condition remains critical, and doctors plan to wake him for further assessments. His daughter, Ciera Causey, has been vocal about his condition and the rarity of his survival.
A well-known chef at Vail resorts and ski instructor at Beaver Creek Ski School, Causey is described as a friendly, charismatic individual with a widespread influence in the Vail Valley. Further details on the cause of the crash are still unclear.