The husband of "Pioneer Woman” Ree Drummond broke his neck in an injury thatwas "very close to being catastrophic," but is expected to make a full recovery, the celebrity chef and lifestyle guru said Monday.
Ladd Drummond and nephew Caleb G. Drummond, 21, were fighting a brush fire on the family's massive northern Oklahoma ranch when their firetrucks collided, officials said.
The severely injured younger Drummond was rushed to the hospital while Ladd waived treatment at the scene, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
But on Monday, Ree Drummond disclosed that her husband later drove himself to the hospital where doctors found that his injuries were much worse than initially believed.
"Caleb broke some ribs, had a pretty bad concussion, and a few other injuries that will heal," Ree Drummond wrote in a statement posted on her website on Monday.
"Ladd (the guy I told you about who drove himself to the hospital?) broke his neck in two places — and evidently one of the two fractures was very close to being catastrophic. Have I mentioned cowboys don’t like to admit when they’re hurt?"
Ree Drummond thanked Dr. Mohammad Kalani, a neurosurgeon at Ascension St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, for stabilizing her husband's beck and possibly saving his life.
"He will have to wear a neck brace for several weeks to let the other fracture heal, and the girls and I will bling out the brace for Alex’s wedding," Drummond wrote of her daughter's upcoming nuptials, "but we are just grateful he will be here for Alex’s wedding."
The Drummond Ranch is more than 430,000 acres in Osage County, Oklahoma, about 60 miles north of Tulsa. It's not uncommon for ranchers, who live far away from large population centers, to own and operate their own fire suppression equipment.
Ree Drummond also thanked the "incredible community of neighboring ranchers and cowboys and everyone helps their neighbor whenever a fire breaks out — so there were friends on the scene to help."
