Park Rapids Man Seriously Injured After Car Falls Onto His Head

A long and tough road to recovery is ahead for a 25-year-old father of two from Park Rapids, who suffered serious injuries after an incident last week that left his head pinned underneath a vehicle.

According to a report from the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office, officers responded to a call on Saturday, October 18 at around 1 p.m. to an injury accident in which a demolition derby car landed on the upper part of Elijah Hensel’s body. Hensel was working underneath the vehicle in a garage on County Highway 73, northeast of the city of Parkers Prairie, when a car jack gave way, pinning Hensel’s head between the car and the garage floor.

Friends and colleagues were able to lift the car off of Hensel, but he was found to have suffered what appeared to be a serious head injury. Hensel was flown to a St. Cloud hospital to receive treatment for his injuries.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for Hensel by his girlfriend and mother, who say he suffered a skull fracture, two fractured ribs, and fractures to his orbital and temporal bones. Hensel also has nerve damage to both of his eyes and a contusion on his left lung. At this time, there has not been a need for any cosmetic surgery.

As of 10 p.m. Thursday, the campaign has raised $2,215 of its $4,000 goal.