A trip to the East Coast for a vacation quickly turned into a nightmare for an Eastern Iowa family.

The Van Patten family is from Cedar Falls, Iowa. They recently made a trip out to New Jersey for a vacation and a family wedding, according to KWWL. But a tragedy occurred when a speeding car struck James Van Patten while the father of the family was crossing a street. Family members say that he is lucky to be alive. Van Patten suffered fractures to his neck and deep lacerations to his back and arm.


James' daughter, Grace Van Patten told KWWL that the family is still trying to come to terms with exactly what happened.

We’re so thankful he’s here with us still, and it wasn’t a fatal outcome, because I don’t know what we would have done if it was. I’m a big daddy’s girl, so seeing my dad like that was pretty traumatic, worrying about him, it was really hard flying home without my parents.

You read correctly. Grace had to fly home without her mom and dad because James isn't cleared to fly yet due to the severity of his injuries. She told KWWL that things are on a day-by-day basis. They also believe once he does arrive home, Van Patten will miss up to 3 months of work recovering.

Grace created a GoFundMe page for her dad to help cover medical expenses. She told KWWL that the family is surprised and grateful for the outpouring of support. We hope that James gets home to Iowa soon and has a speedy recovery!

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