Photo: Randy SparlingA horrific accident has led to an unlikely yet powerful friendship between a biker and the middle school employee who came to his aid while on the way to a school field trip.On Saturday, April 28, Joe Watts and his wife, Stephanie Watts, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, were on their way to brunch on their motorcycle when the unthinkable happened.“It was a beautiful day,” Joe, 36, tells PEOPLE. “We were the first at a red light, and when it turned green, I went into first gear and started heading across the intersection. Suddenly, it was like a bolt of lightening — a minivan T-boned us from the right side. It was such a violent motion; it struck us and swung us forward. I went over the handlebars and out of my peripheral vision I saw my wife’s body fly over me.”Stephanie, 26, had been sitting behind her husband on the bike when a minivan blew through a red light and struck the couple. The driver of the vehicle is currently facing criminal charges, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.“I was directly on my back, looking up and my leg felt like jello. I could hear my wife calling for me,” Joe recalls.The next thing he remembers is a man appearing over him and shouting, “I need a tourniquet or he’s going to bleed out!”That man was Randy Sparling, a student activities coordinator at Salem Middle School in Virginia Beach, who had been on his way to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg with a group of students on a field trip. Sparling remembers spotting Joe on his motorcycle while waiting at a red light in a school bus across the intersection.“I was sitting in the front seat with a young student who had motion sickness and we were talking and I saw the two motorcycles and said to the student, ‘Oh, look at that beautiful Harley,’ ” Sparling, 56, tells PEOPLE. “Their light turned green and they started to come towards us, and all of the sudden a minivan came hauling through the light and hit them. It was a loud crash, like a train hitting something. Joe’s wife flew up over the handlebars and landed about 20 feet from our bus and Joe landed about 15 feet from us.”Sparling immediately leapt from his seat, pushed open the school bus doors and rushed to Joe’s side.“The motorcycle was still sliding across the street,” Sparling says. “I looked at Stephanie and she didn’t appear to be bleeding, but her leg was contorted. I looked at Joe and his leg had been severed below the knee and blood was gushing — it was pooling up real fast.”Sparling, who is also an assistant scoutmaster of a local Boy Scout troop and a longtime Eagle Scout, knew he had to stop the bleeding fast, so he yelled to the bus that he needed belts. Belts from students came flying out of the bus windows and he picked one up and cinched it onto Joe’s leg.“I had the bleeding stopped within two minutes,” Sparling said. “The most important thing was to stop the bleeding — without that he would have died. Joe was still awake, he never passed out, he was in shock. The only thing he kept saying to me was ‘Where’s my wife?’ “As Sparling worked to control the bleeding, Joe says he felt himself starting to slip away.“Everything was slowing down and starting to get slow and calm. I just wanted to know that my wife was okay because I thought I was dying,” Joe says. “My wife Stephanie is my world. We were just trying to go have brunch and enjoy ourselves on a beautiful day, and seconds later, I’m thinking I’m leaving this world.”Emergency personnel arrived at the scene and transferred Joe and his wife to an ambulance. Sparling asked one of the EMTs if he could be updated on Joe and Stephanie’s condition, and later that afternoon he received a call that they were both stable.Virginia Beach City Public SchoolsStephanie is currently in a wheelchair and had reconstructive surgery on her right wrist and her leg is in a cast. Doctors say she’ll be able to walk after months of physical therapy.The accident severed Joe’s leg below his knee, but doctors determined he had to have an amputation above the knee after he was admitted to the hospital. He also had to have a prosthetic pelvis put in. In total, Joe has had 11 operations. In about a year, he will be fitted for a prosthetic leg.Joe and Stephanie, who both work for Vel Tye — a manufacturing company that supplies tactical gear and accessories for military, law enforcement and first responders, hope to get back to work soon, but they have a long road ahead of them.A GoFundMe page has been created to help with their recovery efforts.The day after the accident, Sparling went to visit Joe and Stephanie in the hospital.“Joe had just come out of surgery, but he remembered my voice,” says Sparling. “He was really groggy, but he perked right up and held his hand out and shook my hand and thanked me for saving his life.”Sparling has continued to reach out to Joe every day since the accident, and he visits him in the hospital several times a week.“He’s a remarkable young man,” Sparling says. “He’s got a great outlook and great attitude on life. He’s alive and very grateful to be alive.”Joe has told Sparling that when he gets better, he wants to volunteer with his Scout troop.“He wants to give back, he’s so thankful for the training that I’ve had,” Sparling says.Sparling credits his years with the Scouts for equipping him with the skills he needed to save Joe’s life — and it has inspired him even more to continue educating future Scouts.“The kids saw what I did, they saw the leadership that I had and they learned valuable lessons that day. Those students will remember this for the rest of their lives,” he says.Dr. Aaron Spence, superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools, tell PEOPLE in a statement: “Randy not only saved a man’s life; he impacted the lives of dozens of students in those buses who watched him, took comfort in his presence, and saw firsthand what it means to be prepared, to be calm and to be of service in a crisis. Randy really is one of the good guys, and we are so proud to have him in our division, working with our students and staff. We are grateful for all that he has done and continues to do for our Salem community.”Students at Salem Middle School made a large banner for Joe’s hospital room and created handmade cards for the couple.“It means a lot,” says Joe of the banner. “I look at it every day. One of the kids wrote, ‘You are stronger than you think.’ That phrase struck me because I didn’t feel that way at all. It has done a lot for my morale.”Virginia Beach City Public SchoolsVirginia Beach City Public SchoolsAs Joe moves forward with his recovery, Sparling will be there to cheer him on.“I text him every day,” says Sparling. “Joe sent me a picture of himself in a wheelchair for the first time and I texted him back, ‘Who are you going to race first?’“We were brought together for a reason. We both hope to have a lifelong friendship.”
Photo: Randy Sparling
A horrific accident has led to an unlikely yet powerful friendship between a biker and the middle school employee who came to his aid while on the way to a school field trip.On Saturday, April 28, Joe Watts and his wife, Stephanie Watts, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, were on their way to brunch on their motorcycle when the unthinkable happened.“It was a beautiful day,” Joe, 36, tells PEOPLE. “We were the first at a red light, and when it turned green, I went into first gear and started heading across the intersection. Suddenly, it was like a bolt of lightening — a minivan T-boned us from the right side. It was such a violent motion; it struck us and swung us forward. I went over the handlebars and out of my peripheral vision I saw my wife’s body fly over me.”Stephanie, 26, had been sitting behind her husband on the bike when a minivan blew through a red light and struck the couple. The driver of the vehicle is currently facing criminal charges, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.“I was directly on my back, looking up and my leg felt like jello. I could hear my wife calling for me,” Joe recalls.The next thing he remembers is a man appearing over him and shouting, “I need a tourniquet or he’s going to bleed out!”That man was Randy Sparling, a student activities coordinator at Salem Middle School in Virginia Beach, who had been on his way to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg with a group of students on a field trip. Sparling remembers spotting Joe on his motorcycle while waiting at a red light in a school bus across the intersection.“I was sitting in the front seat with a young student who had motion sickness and we were talking and I saw the two motorcycles and said to the student, ‘Oh, look at that beautiful Harley,’ ” Sparling, 56, tells PEOPLE. “Their light turned green and they started to come towards us, and all of the sudden a minivan came hauling through the light and hit them. It was a loud crash, like a train hitting something. Joe’s wife flew up over the handlebars and landed about 20 feet from our bus and Joe landed about 15 feet from us.”Sparling immediately leapt from his seat, pushed open the school bus doors and rushed to Joe’s side.“The motorcycle was still sliding across the street,” Sparling says. “I looked at Stephanie and she didn’t appear to be bleeding, but her leg was contorted. I looked at Joe and his leg had been severed below the knee and blood was gushing — it was pooling up real fast.”Sparling, who is also an assistant scoutmaster of a local Boy Scout troop and a longtime Eagle Scout, knew he had to stop the bleeding fast, so he yelled to the bus that he needed belts. Belts from students came flying out of the bus windows and he picked one up and cinched it onto Joe’s leg.“I had the bleeding stopped within two minutes,” Sparling said. “The most important thing was to stop the bleeding — without that he would have died. Joe was still awake, he never passed out, he was in shock. The only thing he kept saying to me was ‘Where’s my wife?’ “As Sparling worked to control the bleeding, Joe says he felt himself starting to slip away.“Everything was slowing down and starting to get slow and calm. I just wanted to know that my wife was okay because I thought I was dying,” Joe says. “My wife Stephanie is my world. We were just trying to go have brunch and enjoy ourselves on a beautiful day, and seconds later, I’m thinking I’m leaving this world.”Emergency personnel arrived at the scene and transferred Joe and his wife to an ambulance. Sparling asked one of the EMTs if he could be updated on Joe and Stephanie’s condition, and later that afternoon he received a call that they were both stable.Virginia Beach City Public SchoolsStephanie is currently in a wheelchair and had reconstructive surgery on her right wrist and her leg is in a cast. Doctors say she’ll be able to walk after months of physical therapy.The accident severed Joe’s leg below his knee, but doctors determined he had to have an amputation above the knee after he was admitted to the hospital. He also had to have a prosthetic pelvis put in. In total, Joe has had 11 operations. In about a year, he will be fitted for a prosthetic leg.Joe and Stephanie, who both work for Vel Tye — a manufacturing company that supplies tactical gear and accessories for military, law enforcement and first responders, hope to get back to work soon, but they have a long road ahead of them.A GoFundMe page has been created to help with their recovery efforts.The day after the accident, Sparling went to visit Joe and Stephanie in the hospital.“Joe had just come out of surgery, but he remembered my voice,” says Sparling. “He was really groggy, but he perked right up and held his hand out and shook my hand and thanked me for saving his life.”Sparling has continued to reach out to Joe every day since the accident, and he visits him in the hospital several times a week.“He’s a remarkable young man,” Sparling says. “He’s got a great outlook and great attitude on life. He’s alive and very grateful to be alive.”Joe has told Sparling that when he gets better, he wants to volunteer with his Scout troop.“He wants to give back, he’s so thankful for the training that I’ve had,” Sparling says.Sparling credits his years with the Scouts for equipping him with the skills he needed to save Joe’s life — and it has inspired him even more to continue educating future Scouts.“The kids saw what I did, they saw the leadership that I had and they learned valuable lessons that day. Those students will remember this for the rest of their lives,” he says.Dr. Aaron Spence, superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools, tell PEOPLE in a statement: “Randy not only saved a man’s life; he impacted the lives of dozens of students in those buses who watched him, took comfort in his presence, and saw firsthand what it means to be prepared, to be calm and to be of service in a crisis. Randy really is one of the good guys, and we are so proud to have him in our division, working with our students and staff. We are grateful for all that he has done and continues to do for our Salem community.”Students at Salem Middle School made a large banner for Joe’s hospital room and created handmade cards for the couple.“It means a lot,” says Joe of the banner. “I look at it every day. One of the kids wrote, ‘You are stronger than you think.’ That phrase struck me because I didn’t feel that way at all. It has done a lot for my morale.”Virginia Beach City Public SchoolsVirginia Beach City Public SchoolsAs Joe moves forward with his recovery, Sparling will be there to cheer him on.“I text him every day,” says Sparling. “Joe sent me a picture of himself in a wheelchair for the first time and I texted him back, ‘Who are you going to race first?’“We were brought together for a reason. We both hope to have a lifelong friendship.”
A horrific accident has led to an unlikely yet powerful friendship between a biker and the middle school employee who came to his aid while on the way to a school field trip.
On Saturday, April 28, Joe Watts and his wife, Stephanie Watts, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, were on their way to brunch on their motorcycle when the unthinkable happened.
“It was a beautiful day,” Joe, 36, tells PEOPLE. “We were the first at a red light, and when it turned green, I went into first gear and started heading across the intersection. Suddenly, it was like a bolt of lightening — a minivan T-boned us from the right side. It was such a violent motion; it struck us and swung us forward. I went over the handlebars and out of my peripheral vision I saw my wife’s body fly over me.”
Stephanie, 26, had been sitting behind her husband on the bike when a minivan blew through a red light and struck the couple. The driver of the vehicle is currently facing criminal charges, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
“I was directly on my back, looking up and my leg felt like jello. I could hear my wife calling for me,” Joe recalls.
The next thing he remembers is a man appearing over him and shouting, “I need a tourniquet or he’s going to bleed out!”
That man was Randy Sparling, a student activities coordinator at Salem Middle School in Virginia Beach, who had been on his way to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg with a group of students on a field trip. Sparling remembers spotting Joe on his motorcycle while waiting at a red light in a school bus across the intersection.
“I was sitting in the front seat with a young student who had motion sickness and we were talking and I saw the two motorcycles and said to the student, ‘Oh, look at that beautiful Harley,’ ” Sparling, 56, tells PEOPLE. “Their light turned green and they started to come towards us, and all of the sudden a minivan came hauling through the light and hit them. It was a loud crash, like a train hitting something. Joe’s wife flew up over the handlebars and landed about 20 feet from our bus and Joe landed about 15 feet from us.”
Sparling immediately leapt from his seat, pushed open the school bus doors and rushed to Joe’s side.
“The motorcycle was still sliding across the street,” Sparling says. “I looked at Stephanie and she didn’t appear to be bleeding, but her leg was contorted. I looked at Joe and his leg had been severed below the knee and blood was gushing — it was pooling up real fast.”
Sparling, who is also an assistant scoutmaster of a local Boy Scout troop and a longtime Eagle Scout, knew he had to stop the bleeding fast, so he yelled to the bus that he needed belts. Belts from students came flying out of the bus windows and he picked one up and cinched it onto Joe’s leg.
“I had the bleeding stopped within two minutes,” Sparling said. “The most important thing was to stop the bleeding — without that he would have died. Joe was still awake, he never passed out, he was in shock. The only thing he kept saying to me was ‘Where’s my wife?’ “
As Sparling worked to control the bleeding, Joe says he felt himself starting to slip away.
“Everything was slowing down and starting to get slow and calm. I just wanted to know that my wife was okay because I thought I was dying,” Joe says. “My wife Stephanie is my world. We were just trying to go have brunch and enjoy ourselves on a beautiful day, and seconds later, I’m thinking I’m leaving this world.”
Emergency personnel arrived at the scene and transferred Joe and his wife to an ambulance. Sparling asked one of the EMTs if he could be updated on Joe and Stephanie’s condition, and later that afternoon he received a call that they were both stable.
Virginia Beach City Public Schools
Stephanie is currently in a wheelchair and had reconstructive surgery on her right wrist and her leg is in a cast. Doctors say she’ll be able to walk after months of physical therapy.
The accident severed Joe’s leg below his knee, but doctors determined he had to have an amputation above the knee after he was admitted to the hospital. He also had to have a prosthetic pelvis put in. In total, Joe has had 11 operations. In about a year, he will be fitted for a prosthetic leg.
Joe and Stephanie, who both work for Vel Tye — a manufacturing company that supplies tactical gear and accessories for military, law enforcement and first responders, hope to get back to work soon, but they have a long road ahead of them.A GoFundMe page has been created to help with their recovery efforts.
The day after the accident, Sparling went to visit Joe and Stephanie in the hospital.
“Joe had just come out of surgery, but he remembered my voice,” says Sparling. “He was really groggy, but he perked right up and held his hand out and shook my hand and thanked me for saving his life.”
Sparling has continued to reach out to Joe every day since the accident, and he visits him in the hospital several times a week.
“He’s a remarkable young man,” Sparling says. “He’s got a great outlook and great attitude on life. He’s alive and very grateful to be alive.”
Joe has told Sparling that when he gets better, he wants to volunteer with his Scout troop.
“He wants to give back, he’s so thankful for the training that I’ve had,” Sparling says.
Sparling credits his years with the Scouts for equipping him with the skills he needed to save Joe’s life — and it has inspired him even more to continue educating future Scouts.
“The kids saw what I did, they saw the leadership that I had and they learned valuable lessons that day. Those students will remember this for the rest of their lives,” he says.
Dr. Aaron Spence, superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools, tell PEOPLE in a statement: “Randy not only saved a man’s life; he impacted the lives of dozens of students in those buses who watched him, took comfort in his presence, and saw firsthand what it means to be prepared, to be calm and to be of service in a crisis. Randy really is one of the good guys, and we are so proud to have him in our division, working with our students and staff. We are grateful for all that he has done and continues to do for our Salem community.”
Students at Salem Middle School made a large banner for Joe’s hospital room and created handmade cards for the couple.
“It means a lot,” says Joe of the banner. “I look at it every day. One of the kids wrote, ‘You are stronger than you think.’ That phrase struck me because I didn’t feel that way at all. It has done a lot for my morale.”
As Joe moves forward with his recovery, Sparling will be there to cheer him on.
“I text him every day,” says Sparling. “Joe sent me a picture of himself in a wheelchair for the first time and I texted him back, ‘Who are you going to race first?’
“We were brought together for a reason. We both hope to have a lifelong friendship.”
source: people.com
