Girl seriously injured in tug-o-war at track

BMX groups step up to help young racer

By Kate Westby | The Daily Journal

Published Friday, June 27, 2008

Photo by Zak Holtan

Cameron Martin accepts a donation from Derik Bergh who put on a racing clinic to raise money for the Martin family.

What started as a fun game ended as a serious accident at the I-94 BMX track in Fergus Falls. On Friday, June 20, 8-year-old Alyssa Martin, daughter of I-94 track director Cameron Martin, was seriously injured in a tug-of-war game during intermission of the Race For Life benefit.

Friday’s event was a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and the intermission game was intended to be a fun break for the kids. But when the tug-of-war began, Alyssa’s hand—which was wrapped around the rope—was caught, and four of her fingers were severed.

She was rushed to North Memorial Hospital in Minneapolis where she was in surgery for 17 hours on Saturday as doctors repaired ripped tendons and broken bones in an attempt to save her fingers. Sunday brought another long session of surgery on her left ring finger.

After being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, Alyssa underwent multiple surgeries and grafts to reconstruct her fingers, which are being closely monitored by probes in her fingertips to track temperature changes in the damaged limbs.

Alyssa was moved from ICU to the pediatric ward yesterday, and her dad, Cameron, said she is feeling much better.

“We were really lucky because the doctors don’t get any better than what we had,” Cameron said. “Even though she’s going through the pain, as a parent it’s almost harder to see her have to go through this. It’s really tough.”

While doctors are optimistic about the return of her fingers’ range of motion, they will not know for another six weeks until the tissue heals and bones set, according to Brent Schiefert, I-94 BMX board member.

“To give you an idea of the kind of trooper Alyssa is, she looked up and said to her dad on the way to the ER, ‘Dad, it could be worse. It could be my right hand,’” Schiefert said, who said Alyssa is right-handed. “For an eight-year-old to say that really says something.”

The Martin family is recognized within the BMX community for their generosity and guidance to younger riders. When word spread about Alyssa’s accident, there was no hesitation to provide support for the family, as nearly $3,000 was raised within the first five days following the accident.

Last night, a fundraiser was held at the I-94 BMX track where the West Fargo BMX Association presented Cameron and his family with a gift of $1,000. The money was raised Monday night after board members agreed to match any donations received for the Martins.

“The support we’ve been getting from everyone is phenomenal,” Cameron said. “When I came back and heard everything that has been going on, it was very emotional to hear what people are doing.”

T-shirts that read, “Rider Down Again: NAG 8 Alyssa Martin, We Take Care Of Our Own,” were sold, and Schiefert said requests for more of the shirts are coming in from around the country.

Additionally, Alltheracing.com donated revenues from online picture sales, a recent gate clinic held by nationally ranked racer Derik Bergh raised money for the fund, and ActionBMX.net and Intense Bicycles teamed up to raffle off a new Intense Pro Alloy 20 and donate the proceeds to the Martin family.

“Donations are coming in from as far away as Nevada,” Schiefert said. “It’s not just the local community that’s supporting her, but people from all over the country. It’s just amazing.”

The Martins are an active BMX family, racing in many national competitions over the years with children Mindy, Brady and Alyssa.

Currently, Alyssa is ranked eighth in the nation for her age division, or NAG, and her goal is to be back racing within two years, although Cameron predicts she’ll get racing fever before long.

“After they start with the rehab, I don’t think it will take that long for her,” Cameron said. “The strength and outlook she has is unbelievable for an 8-year-old, and we knew she’d be the same fun, incredible girl no matter what happened.”

The support given to the Martin family is a reflection of the familial bond shared between members of the BMX racing community, one BMXers say is hard to find anywhere else.

“The amount of support from the community has been incredible,” said Schiefert. “People look at BMX as an individual sport, but those of us involved see the nationwide family that steps up to take care of our own.”

“When it comes to BMX, everyone’s helping everyone, and there’s always someone there for you,” Cameron said. “It’s a competitive sport, but I think it’s a more friendly competitive sport than others because even though you’re there to race on the track, off the track it’s family. Thank you for all of the fantastic support, not just from the BMX community, but from everyone.”

For updates on Alyssa’s condition and information about ways to donate to the Alyssa Martin Fund, visit www.alltheracing.com.