Gypsum motorcyclist’s family feeling hopeful following devastating accident
Brandon Causey, a well-known ski instructor and chef, is recovering after emergency surgery to fuse his skull and spinal column
Courtesy photo
Local motorcyclist Brandon Causey has been giving his family signs of hope in recent days after being found unconscious on Gypsum Creek Road on Monday.
Causey suffered an atlanto-occipital dislocation, in which the spine separates from the skull base. After being flown by helicopter to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, Causey underwent surgery to fuse his skull and spinal column.
Causey’s daughter, Ciera Causey, said the surgery took longer than expected.
“We were on edge,” she said. “The surgery took five and a half hours — they told us three to four — so when we hit that four-hour mark, we were increasingly nervous that he wouldn’t come out of it, because one of the risks of that surgery is death. But he did come out of it, which gave us some sense of hope — he’s still here.”
Since then, Causey has awoken several times and attempted to move around following that surgery, but has expressed agitation with being in the hospital bed, leading doctors to conclude he needs more time to rest.
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“Because he was so confused and agitated, they increased sedation, so he’s resting again,” Ciera Causey said. “We’re just taking it really slow … but it was really good to see him moving his arms and legs.”
Workers for the town of Gypsum were cleaning up litter in the area when they happened upon Causey, who was lying unconscious in the Brightwater area of Gypsum Creek Road. He appeared to have been heading southbound out of town on his motorcycle, a common trip for the longtime Gypsum resident.
His family said he was located near his motorcycle, but other than that they don’t know what happened.
“There weren’t any skid marks or rocks in the road, we have no idea,” Ciera Causey said.
Ciera, 24, is the eldest of Causey’s three children. Brandon and his wife Inga moved to Eagle County when Ciera was less than a year old.
Brandon became well-known throughout the area as a ski instructor and a chef. The professions fit well together, with ski clients often asking about his other profession, leading to referrals.
One frequent visitor to the area was Susie Bailey, of Texas, whose company would host ski outings in Bachelor Gulch, catered by Causey.
“He was just a delight to be around,” Bailey said. “Everybody became friends.”
Years later, Bailey’s husband, Bryan, started hosting similar ski outings with his company, hiring Causey. As a special treat for Bailey’s birthday, Causey was hired to cook breakfast for the family on the morning of Jan. 31, 2023. When the family dog nearly broke its back jumping into the snow, Bryan left town to find a veterinarian in Denver, leaving his wife and son to enjoy the birthday breakfast without him.
Bailey was 32 weeks pregnant at the time, and woke up in the morning bleeding profusely, experiencing what she now knows to be an event called a placental abruption.
“I knew immediately, this is a baby emergency,” she said. “I need to get to the hospital right now, I’m not calling an ambulance, they’re not making their way up to Bachelor Gulch, I’m getting in the car and I’m driving myself.”
The breakfast from Causey was supposed to be a surprise. His mission was to sneak into the kitchen quietly and have pancakes, fresh fruit, yogurt and coffee waiting for everyone when they woke up.
Bailey was scared, wondering how much snow she was going to have to clean off the car before driving herself to the hospital when she noticed Causey’s car in the driveway.
“He drove quickly and calmly,” Bailey said. “He’s like ‘I know just where to go, all my three kids were born at Vail Health,'” she said. “He knew the check-in guy, he knew the people in the hallway … I knew I’m in the right place, I have the right guardian angel, this is going to work out.”
The baby, Abigail, was born immediately; only an hour had elapsed from the time Bailey woke up to the birth. And that included Causey’s drive from Bachelor Gulch.
Abigail was born 8 weeks premature but is now thriving.
“We were so lucky that Brandon was there that morning,” Bailey said. “Timing was so critical and we cannot imagine the outcome if he wasn’t there to get us quickly and safely to Vail Health.”
Causey’s family says the story sums up the kind of person he is — calm under pressure, and recognizing friends wherever he went. On a standard trip to the grocery store, “we’d just happen to see five to 15 people that he knew,” Ciera Causey said. “And he’s genuinely friends with them, asking personal questions, checking in on how their lives are going and how their kids are doing.”
Her father’s injury is showing Ciera how many people’s lives he has touched, she said, as hundreds of people have reached out directly and through GoFundMe, where the family has received more than 700 donations.
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“I’ve had hundreds of people reach out to me through this process expressing their love for him and support for him and how much they’re rooting for him and offering and services they can provide throughout this process,” she said. “It has been amazing to see.”
People interested in following Brandon’s progress can find daily updates regarding his condition posted by Ciera at gofundme.com/f/support-brandon-causeys-road-to-recovery
