Idaho man lost a leg. Here's why he feels gratitude

RIGBY, Idaho — A 45-year-old man lost part of his leg in a surgery this week after a horrific accident nearly took his life.

Daniel Bradshaw of Rigby got his right leg amputated below the knee in Salt Lake City in early December.

"The leg cannot be saved. It is the cost of survival, and survival is more than just physical at this point," Bradshaw wrote in an online fundraiser. Despite what he has endured, he has done it with positivity and is grateful for all those who have rallied around him and his family.

Hardships

Leading up to Bradshaw's accident, he and his wife, Mardie, along with their three children, had faced recent tragedy. Mardie had a sister who suffered from congenital heart defects her entire life. She had been through three heart transplants.

"The third heart transplant resulted in a stroke, and that stroke ultimately took her life. That was in 2020," he said.

The death led to deep depression in Mardie's father, and he died by suicide in December 2024, Bradshaw said.

"It's been a very traumatic year for our whole family. All of my sisters and I are seeking counseling for that," Mardie Bradshaw told EastIdahoNews.com.

The incident

Then, the unthinkable happened to Daniel Bradshaw this year.

On Jan. 25, he went to catalog his father-in-law's belongings at his home in Blackfoot. His wife was there with him, including other family members.

Daniel Bradshaw found a homemade, double-barreled, sawed-off shotgun. It was in pieces and in a box. He tried to move it.

"I was simply setting it on the floor when it exploded," he recalled.

As a result, the firearm had injured his leg. 911 was called. Mardie and everyone present were all giving aid. He lost a lot of blood and in those moments, he was saying goodbye to his wife.

"I remember my wife's face as she knelt beside me. Her hands pressed against the wound. She believed she was watching her husband die. I believed she was right," Daniel Bradshaw wrote on a GoFundMe* page. "I apologized to my wife repeatedly. I told her I loved her."

A tourniquet was applied before Blackfoot Police officers arrived on the scene.

Blackfoot Police Capt. Wes Wheatley said officers responded to a report of a man with a gunshot wound to the leg at 1:40 p.m. They began providing aid for what appeared to be a "life-threatening injury."

"The tourniquet officers carry as part of their standard equipment played a critical role in enabling them to provide immediate aid before medical personnel arrived," Wheatley said.

Blackfoot Fire and EMS arrived, along with deputies from the Bingham County Sheriff's Office to assist.

By the time Daniel Bradshaw was taken to the hospital, he had multiple tourniquets on him.

"That's probably the most pain I have been in in my entire life, is the application of those tourniquets," he said.

An investigation was conducted into the circumstances surrounding the incident and it was determined to be accidental, Wheatley added.

The hospital

He said he was driven by ambulance to a rest area on Interstate 15 between Blackfoot and Idaho Falls. An air ambulance came, and he was given a blood transfusion. He was then airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.

Daniel Bradshaw went through a series of lifesaving surgeries. His femoral artery was destroyed, and his femur was shattered into countless pieces. He stayed in the hospital for about a month.

"The surgical notes told me later that my blood pressure fell to a number that should not sustain life," Daniel wrote.

Mardie Bradshaw said her husband is lucky to be alive and she is thankful to the officers and hospital staff.

"We call it a blessing. I don't know if you believe in a God, but we're very faith-driven. One hundred percent, there were angels in that room that allowed him to still be alive because it was very close," she said. "Those police officers who were first on scene saved Danny's life. They are the hope that we call on for help when we need it, and they were definitely that for us that day."

Progress

The last several months haven't come easily. Daniel Bradshaw has had 10 surgeries throughout the year, and the amputation will be his 11th operation. He has fought an infection in his leg, too.

However, he has made significant progress.

"He couldn't stand. He couldn't, let alone, walk. We had to go through a lot of physical therapy in the hospital," Mardie Bradshaw said. "And we've progressed to him being able to walk with a walker, one-legged."

It was hard for him to brush his teeth and take a shower. He was out of work for six months, then returned part-time in June, where he could sit a little more comfortably. He resumed working full-time in August.

Daniel Bradshaw has used a wheelchair, as well. He is now walking with a brace to stabilize his ankle and has forearm crutches.

"It's called an ankle foot orthotic that braces his foot. There is no feeling in his lower leg. There's no function. It holds his ankle and his foot in place," Mardie Bradshaw said.

Daniel Bradshaw is hoping the amputation will help him regain his ability. There were major wounds on both the top and bottom sides of his thigh. The extensive damage to the muscles, nerves, and arteries has affected his entire leg.

The below-the-knee amputation took place due to the lack of blood flow and nerve function. And he just wants to move forward with life.

"I am trying to get into the outdoors. I am an avid hiker. I have hiked all over the country, and I just want to try to get back to those things I love. So this amputation is an attempt to give me more function in my lower leg," he said.

"It's a risk I am willing to take to kind of return to normal activity," he said.

Read the full story at EastIdahoNews.com.

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited into the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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