'Pioneer Woman' Ree Drummond reveals husband's injury after crash
OSAGE COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) – 'Pioneer Woman' Ree Drummond revealed that her husband underwent surgery for an injury he sustained during an accident on the family's ranch.
Officials say it all started when Ladd Drummond and the couple's nephew, 21-year-old Caleb Drummond, were working to put out a wildfire on the ranch.
According to an accident report, Caleb was heading south on a gravel road as Ladd was heading north on that same road.
High winds made it difficult to see, causing the two drivers to crash head-on.
Paramedics rushed to the ranch and immediately began tending to Caleb, who was in critical condition.
He suffered trauma to his head, internal torso, arms and legs in the crash.
At the time of the accident, officials believed that Ladd Drummond was fine.
"Ladd was stiff but able to walk around immediately after the accident, so he refused medical attention. This was partly because he wanted the paramedics to focus on Caleb, partly because he was still a little stunned by the accident, and partly because cowboys don't like to admit when they're hurt," Ree Drummond posted on her website.
A short time later, Ladd ended up driving himself to a Pawhuska hospital.
Once there, doctors learned that Ladd had broken his neck in two places.
"I won’t take you through every step of the past several days, but here’s the important part: Caleb and Ladd are going to be okay. Caleb broke some ribs, had a pretty bad concussion, and a few other injuries that will heal. Ladd (the guy I told you about who drove himself to the hospital?) broke his neck in two places—and evidently one of the two fractures was very close to being catastrophic. Have I mentioned cowboys don’t like to admit when they’re hurt? Ladd was transferred to Tulsa and had surgery to stabilize one of the fractures. Thanks to some rods and other hardware (and an amazing neurosurgeon named Dr. Kalani), it’s fixed now and the initial danger is over," Drummond posted.
She says that Ladd will have to wear a neck brace for several weeks to let the fracture heal, but he is expected to make a full recovery.
Drummond says that Caleb and Ladd were both recently released from the hospital.