Fundraiser organized for man from Wilton who faces months of recovery after work accident

WILTON — On June 26, Jonathan Beaudette suffered an industrial accident that left him hospitalized for several weeks, followed by months of rehabilitation. A fundraiser has already been launched and more are being organized to help him and his young family.

Jonathan Beaudette of Wilton was recently treated at Maine Medical Center in Portland after an industrial accident. He will need months of physical therapy and rehabilitation before he can return to work. Fundraisers are planned for Jonathan, who has a wife and two young children. Submitted photo

Beaudette was formerly with the Jay Fire Department. Over the past five years, he received on-the-job training and is now a licensed arborist, his wife, Brittany Beaudette, told the Livermore Falls Advertiser last week. The couple’s son, Ethan, is 2, and daughter Natalie turned 8 weeks old on Saturday, July 6.

Friend William “Bill” Axell has started an online fundraiser, and as of July 8, $1,190 has been raised toward the $60,000 goal for transportation, child care, medical and other expenses.

On the morning of June 26, Jonathan was working on a tree in Yarmouth for Whitney Tree LLC, Brittany said. “He had installed a ring bolt in a guardrail and was going to attach a cable to the main part of the tree to stabilize it,” she noted. “After installing the bolt, he was moving his lift back to the main part when part of the tree fell over, caught the lift and broke. He fell 50 feet and was thrown into the bucket when he hit the ground. He was strapped into the bucket at the time.”

His brother-in-law, Devin Stanley, was working with Jonathan at the time of the accident and was able to keep him calm and call emergency services, Brittany explained. He was immediately taken by ambulance to Maine Medical Center and placed in the intensive care unit, she noted.

“When he arrived at the hospital, he had a broken pelvis, femur, tailbone, vertebrae and many ribs,” Brittany said. “He also had a dislocated shoulder and internal bruising. He had two minor procedures to realign his shoulder and take the pressure off his pelvis. Then he had a much larger surgery to put plates and screws in the front and back of his pelvis. We haven’t yet been given an estimate on when he will be able to leave the hospital, just “at least a couple of weeks.” He hopefully won’t need any more surgeries, but he will need extensive rehabilitation and physical therapy.”

Jonathan will be in a wheelchair for at least three months, Brittany explained. “Then, when he is able to put weight on his leg, hopefully we can transition from the wheelchair to a walker,” she said. “He will need rehab for the entire process. We hope to get rehab at home rather than in an inpatient setting.”

It will be many months before Jonathan is considered recovered, and his return to work will largely depend on his level of mobility after all the rehab and physical therapy, Brittany noted.

She said Jonathan can now move around a little with help. “We’re working on it,” she noted. He can now drink clear liquids, but nothing else, she added.

Brittany said she doesn’t have much information about other fundraisers, but those are organized by Axell.

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