Man vs. Flip Flop Leads to ER Visit

Claude Robertson Gives the Three Rivers ER 100% Approval.
Flip Flops? Not so much.

Claude Robertson woke up that Sunday morning, and as his wife Irene slept, he dressed, donned his flip flops, and went outside to water the flowers. He and Irene also grow corn, beans, cabbage, tomatoes and cucumbers in the garden at their Fort Gay, WV home. Retired now from working as a lineman for the railroad, where he “climbed poles” for a living, Claude is 81 years old.

Little did he know he’d be in the emergency department within the hour. “I took a step, and my flip flop stuck to the concrete. Down I went!” Claude recalls. “I grabbed the picnic table to pull myself up part way, and I knew right then and there I had broken something.”

Knowing his wife was still asleep, he pushed though the excruciating pain and crawled up three steps, across their deck, and into the house. “People still can’t believe I was able to do that,” he smiles. He quickly got Irene’s attention.

She called their son-in-law who came right away with their daughter and granddaughter in tow. They put him in the car, and without hesitation, headed for the ER at Three Rivers Medical Center, about three miles away.

As soon as Claude arrived, the Three Rivers ER staff jumped into action, immediately taking Claude to an exam room. Dr. Kingston wasted no time, ordering x-rays to determine the extent of his injury. Unfortunately, Claude’s diagnosis was correct – he had broken his hip.

While the nurses made him as comfortable as possible, they called upon local orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Akshay Goel for a surgery consultation. Dr. Goel determined Claude would require hip replacement surgery and scheduled the procedure for the following morning.

After a highly successful surgery, Claude was back home in a few days, where he received physical therapy from the Three Rivers home health staff. He brags on all the hospital staff who took care of him, but especially the nurses and doctors in the emergency department. “They couldn’t have been better! I’d give them a 100%!” Claude says enthusiastically. “I go by and visit them now and then to tell them I love all of them. I hear compliments about them all the time.”

Today, Claude is back in the garden, but as for flip flops? He says, “I burned all three pairs in the stove insert in my garage.”