'Dean Vetter has 1 gear and it's go'

Fargo cyclist recovering after freak crash at rail crossing.

by Kevin Wallevand

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After a devastating bike accident, Fargo’s Dean Vetter begins rehab.

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FARGO — It's the picture family and friends of Dean Vetter have been waiting to see — Dean now able to briefly sit up. A tracheostomy, at times, used to help maintain his breathing. 

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As for the paralysis following a bike accident, the family is celebrating mini milestones.

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"It is all baby steps. This is such a lesson in patience. Not only for us, but Dean. Everything is one day at a time and if he can get a little bit of movement, wiggle his toe or move his foot side to side, hands or something. Shrugging his shoulders. All of that," said Heidi Vetter, Dean's wife.

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Like most nights after work, Dean went on an early evening bike ride. He was south of Moorhead near Rustad. As he crossed the railroad tracks, his front tire got stuck in a gap between the crossing panels and he went over his handlebars and onto the highway.

"I got a phone call and it was Dean. My heart just sank. But I picked up the phone and it wasn't Dean. It was a bystander. Dean was lying there and he could not move. He was awake and he said he was so scared. He was afraid someone would not see him and hit him," Heidi said.

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Airlifted to Sanford, neurosurgeons immediately operated on Dean to insert rods to stabilize his neck and spine. On Thursday, Aug. 14, he heads to Craig Hospital in Denver for intensive rehab, in hopes movement returns.

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"Dean Vetter has one gear and it's GO, and so today he wanted to stand up. He said, 'Stand me up' and you can see it in his face," Heidi said.

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It has been a drastic change for the energetic 53 year old, a cyclist and fitness fan. A lover of the outdoors for hunting and fishing and biking, his family knows this shocking accident has been hard on him.

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"And we have little conversations, he and I. I tell him, 'Dean: your energy and determination and your stubbornness and strong-willed personality, we are putting all that into one thing and that is getting you moving again,'" Heidi said.

And while the family is so connected in the community, they never imagined so many people would reach out to comfort and care for them.

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"Yeah, I can't, it is just crazy," Heidi said.

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But now, planning for the future — rehab and work ahead so that come next summer, Dean is ready for two of his children's weddings.

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"And he will be there, and we want him to walk his daughter down the aisle," Heidi said.

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Also at noon Thursday, Aug. 14, the Davies Girls Cross Country team will host a car wash and bake sale with proceeds going to Dean and his family at the Family Fare on South 25th street and 32nd Avenue.

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There is also a Lend a Hand Up fundraiser for the Vetter family.

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By Kevin Wallevand

Kevin Wallevand has been a reporter at WDAY-TV since 1983. He is a native of Vining, Minnesota in Otter Tail County. His series and documentary work have brought him to Africa, Vietnam, Haiti, Kosovo, South America, Mongolia, Juarez,Mexico and the Middle East. He is an multiple Emmy and national Edward R. Murrow award recipient.

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