Columnist Susan Snyder: Event gives boost to recovery

Monday, Nov. 1, 2004 | 8:21 a.m.

As Eric Hayes' medical bills mount and hopes for his recovery endure, area mountain bikers are riding to raise money for the wife and son of the bicyclist who was hit by a truck in July.

Members of the Basin and Range Trail Advocates group (BARTA) are donating all proceeds from their annual Blue Diamond-to-Jean mountain bike ride to Tina and Brandon Hayes, Eric's wife and 17-month-old son.

The ride starts at the Bike Outpost, a shop in Blue Diamond, and follows a grueling 35-mile, off-road trail through the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

"This is a very physically demanding ride that experienced, conditioned riders often take up to four or five hours to complete," the BARTA Web site says.

Those who aren't up for the ride may still volunteer. Some people have registered without planning to ride. And those who just want to make a donation may send contributions to BARTA with a notation that it is for the Hayes fund, Tina Hayes said.

Eric Hayes was riding his bicycle east on Sahara Avenue on July 7 when he collided with a pickup that crossed his path as the driver turned onto Bronco Street. No charges were filed in the crash.

The bicycle racer worked as a United Parcel Service driver, but those are pursuits he may never again enjoy. Hayes was in coma when placed in a rehabilitation center July 23.

But he has been breathing on his own since August, has opened his eyes and can move his left arm, his wife, Tina, said Friday. But for now his right arm remains splinted.

"He can focus. When you walk around the end of the bed, he'll follow you with his eyes," she said. "And I can tell by looking at him if he's mad at me because I didn't come visit sooner. It's a husband-wife thing."

She laughed. That look and his effort to pucker up for a kiss are the little things that haven't changed, although nearly everything else has.

"He's made so much progress. He looks like himself again," Tina said. "And the nurses say it looks like he's trying to mouth words."

Eric has been moved from a rehabilitation center a mile from the family's Las Vegas home to one 20 miles away in Henderson. That trip twice a day added to Tina's work commute and the drive to Brandon's school result in a daily 100-mile circuit.

She still works part-time but doesn't know what will happen when the medical insurance coverage runs out. She was applying for Medicaid on Friday afternoon, but wasn't sure the family can qualify.

"The bills are starting to roll in. Insurance has paid for almost everything. But the insurance company will reach their limit soon, and things will really get hairy," Tina said.

Brandon accompanies Tina on the daily visits. But she takes along a tape recording of the toddler's laugh for Eric to hear. Brandon doesn't laugh at the rehab center because it's a strange environment, Tina said. He doesn't understand his father's condition.

"I tell him that this is where Daddy lives, and that some day Daddy will come home to us," she said.

For more information on the ride go to www.barta-nv.com or call Leanne, 228-4076. BARTA's mailing address is P.O. Box 80882, Las Vegas, Nev. 89180.