Montana Family Shares Powerful Story of Survival, Loss, & Gratitude for Support of Intermountain St. Vincent Hospital Caregivers
On Dec. 6, 2024, Zack and Erika Fievet’s lives changed in an instant.
As a mechanic working on large semi-trailers, Zack Fievet was inspecting a trailer when the brakes unexpectedly released.
“I remember I was under the trailer in front of the tires. I heard a bunch of yelling and commotion, and I heard the trailer brakes release, and I saw the trailer start taking off,” Fievet’ recalled. “I tried to get out of the way, and it just ran right over top of me.”
The semi-trailer ran over Fievet head to toe, causing life-threatening traumatic injuries.
He was rushed to Intermountain St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings, Montana, where a team of trauma specialists worked urgently to save his life.
“I remember getting into the ambulance and waking up in the ICU, which was six days later,” he said.
Fievet’s injuries were extensive.
He had a shattered scapula, multiple rib fractures, a collapsed lung, spinal fractures, a severely broken pelvis and femur, in addition to internal injuries causing severe bleeding. He underwent multiple surgeries and received multiple blood transfusions.
The trauma team at St. Vincent activated a Level I response, bringing a multidisciplinary team to provide care to Zack and save his life.
“Dr. (Brian) Drake explained it as an explosion in his pelvis,” Erika said. “He had five blood transfusions on day one alone.”
While Zack Fievet continued to recover in the ICU, Erika Fievet suffered her own health emergency.
At just 23 weeks pregnant, she was admitted to St. Vincent in preterm labor. Their son, Brooks, was born at just 23 weeks and two days. He was immediately transferred to the Intermountain St. Vincent Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for care.
Because of his condition, Zack Fievet was unaware of what was taking place at the time.
After his final surgery, Fievet was stabilized, and physical therapists and nurses coordinated a special transport using a lay-down wheelchair to bring him from his hospital bed to the NICU.
“They wheeled me down there,” Fievet said. “I got to go down and meet Brooks.”
After two weeks, Brooks Fievet developed a serious and sudden case of necrotizing enterocolitis, a serious condition common in extremely premature infants, which is a gastrointestinal condition that causes inflammation and bacterial infection of the intestinal wall.
When this occurs, bacteria can leak into the abdomen or bloodstream, causing widespread infection. Babies born at 23 weeks, like Brooks, are particularly vulnerable because their intestines are underdeveloped, and their immune systems are not yet equipped to fight off infections.
The condition can progress rapidly and unpredictably. Brooks’ condition declined rapidly over the course of hours, and he was unable to recover.
“It was within two hours, he went from stable to gone,” Erika Fievet said.
In the midst of their grief and Zack Fievet’s condition, caregivers at Intermountain St. Vincent made it possible for Ericka and Zack to say goodbye to their son with compassion and dignity.
The NICU staff spent several hours with the family after Brooks’ passing.
They helped bathe and dress Brooks, allowing the family to take photos, make memories, and create several special keepsakes. Zack was unable to be present when Brooks passed, because he had been transferred to a rehab hospital across town in Billings. The NICU and spiritual care team at St. Vincent arranged for Brooks to be brought to Zack so he would be able to see him and say goodbye.
The trauma team, ICU nurses, NICU staff, and chaplains all played a role in the family’s healing.
“Brooke (Wagner, a music therapist] got me through a lot of bad days,” Zack Fievet said.
She sang George Strait songs to Fievet when he was still in a lot of pain and still processing everything that happened.
After a month in a rehab facility and 12 weeks of being non-weight-bearing at home, Fievet began physical therapy. Erika Fievet became his full-time caregiver while grieving the loss of their son.
“I don’t think it really settled in for us until things started to get back to our new normal,” she said. “(The recovery) is a full-time job.”
The Fievets held a memorial service for Brooks on his due date in April. Wagner performed a song at the memorial service she wrote in Brooks’ honor.
“Zack and I bonded immediately over our mutual love of George Strait. Getting to spend time in the NICU with Erika and Brooks only deepened my love for this incredible family," said Wagner. "They will forever hold a special place in my heart.”
Now, as Zack Fievet continues his recovery and prepares for additional surgery, the Fievets wanted to share their story to honor the caregivers who saved Zack’s life and those who supported them through the loss of Brooks.
They recently reunited with caregivers at Intermountain St. Vincent Hospital to share their words of gratitude and to meet face-to-face with those individuals that helped heal and carry them through a difficult time.
“A simple thank you doesn’t feel like enough,” Erika Fievet said. “You feel like you owe them your whole life because they did so much for us.”