He was lucky to survive a freak accident during last week’s devastating derecho storm when a tree fell onto the cabin of his truck, collapsing the cabin onto the EMT/firefighter and trapping him inside the truck. When he was extracted from the car he was taken to Marshalltown UnityPoint Clinic before being airlifted to Des Moines. He did not have to undergo surgery but suffered a C7T1 spinal fracture, a ruptured lumbar vertebrae in his back, a sternum injury and a concussion.

He is undergoing hours of physical therapy per day and recently passed his speech therapy. Sinwell’s step-daughter Shannon Koehler said he has no memory of the actual incident.

Given the nature of the accident, though, Koehler said he is lucky to be alive.

“He looked so much better than what anyone expected to look like, seeing him,” Koehler said. “I think it was pretty emotional, in that he was alive. Nobody really expected it, they saw the truck before they saw him.”

Steve Sinnwell (left) and his wife, Stephanie. Steve’s truck was crushed by a falling tree during the Aug. 10 derecho.

In the immediate aftermath, Steve was able to speak on the phone with daughter Elizabeth Reed while trapped in the car. It was Reed who realized immediately that something was wrong and called 911 to get help to her father. But being in Hardin County, she was not able to reach the Marshall County emergency services. It was Marshall County Sheriff Steve Hoffman who was able to get word to emergency services after Hardin County let him know of the situation.

Reed was able to see Steve before he was airlifted to Des Moines. She said he was smiling, even though he could not move much.

A call from Hoffman to Reed gave her hope, she said. Reed was very complimentary of the role Hoffman played in getting Steve out of the car, and for checking in days after to see if he was okay.

“He was amazing,” Reed said. “He was on it right away, and they were going to find him. A few days later, he called to check on him. I don’t know how many people know what a heart he has.”

Koehler and her husband drove to Sinwell’s house in Melbourne to help with damage cleanup and make sure their mother and nephew were alright before driving back. But around midnight, when they were attempting to drive back and got lost due to the damage and road closures, Koehler said they drove by the truck on the side of the road. She called it haunting to see what her father had been in just hours before.

Sinwell has seven children and step-children, four from his first marriage. His first wife died in 1997, leaving him a widower at age 38. He has three step-children from his marriage to wife Stephanie. Sinwell’s children are spread throughout the country, and in the pandemic, many of them have not been able to make it to the hospital to see him. But daughter Autumn Grell said she’s been able to speak with him over the phone and through text almost every day, something they didn’t know they’d be able to do last week. Reed and Koehler have tried to keep contact as much as possible as well.

“He has all of his faculties,” Grell said. “He is in the cervical brace, I think they said he’ll be in the braces for at least four months.”

A few days after the incident and with Sinwell still in the hospital, Koehler wanted to help anyway she could from her home in Illinois. She came up with the idea for a GoFundMe account to =replace some of Sinwell’s lost income while he recovers.

They set a goal of $5,000, and as of Friday afternoon have raised $4,840. The goal has been pushed to $6,000. The campaign has garnered 85 unique donors and has been shared 667 times. Those who wish to donate can go to the link here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-hero-needing-heroes?utm_source=customer-andr&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=email.

The campaign takes on even more importance given the situation Sinwell and his wife have at home – Stephanie suffers from multiple sclerosis and relies heavily on him to take care of her around the house. The money donated will hopefully supplement some of his missed income and keep the couple on solid ground while he continues his recovery.

Koehler said the donations — many of which have been from employees at UnityPoint Clinic and friends of Koehler’s in Illinois — has blown the family away.

“It’s awesome how a bunch of people who have never met him, and might not ever meet him are helping out,” Koehler said. “He’s so thankful about it, and my mom is too. They were so happy, because that’s one less worry right now.”

Sinwell has a long recovery process ahead of him, but his family has made sure to let him know the generosity and number of people who are rooting for him. It’s just one more thing for him to work through in 2020, after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in mid-March and had his prostate removed in May to combat the disease.

Sinwell’s family knows him as a fighter, a “gentle giant” who puts his mind to something and gets it done. They believe he can recover as much as possible from the incident.

When asked about how it will feel to see him for the first time after his near-death experience, Grell teared up.

“It’s going to be amazing, for all of us,” Grell said.

Contact Noah Rohlfing at 641-753-6611 or nrohlfing@timesrepublican.com.