Man survives being pinned by truck crashing through Elk Grove dental office, hailed a miracle
ELK GROVE -- The side of Laguna Park Dentistry in Elk Grove is still boarded up where a truck crashed through the building on Wednesday.
It's the scene of a freak accident and an extremely close call for Robert "Bob" Berglund, who was working to install new equipment at the office at the time of the crash.
Bob was pinned between the hood of the truck and debris in the dental office as first responders rushed to free him.
"He was pinned for a while, It was a long time because I've heard he was screaming, 'Get me the heck out of here,' " Kim said. "He was facing where the truck was coming from when he was hit and was pushed through a bunch of equipment."
Kim has been by Bob's side in the ICU for five long days now as he begins what will be a months-long, if not years-long, road to recovery.
"It's just going to take time. It's a long road for sure," Kim said. "It's hard to actually absorb the gravity of it all, honestly."
By the time Kim got the news of the accident Wednesday afternoon, Bob was being rushed to the hospital and into emergency brain surgery with a fractured skull.
"My face just fell. My best friend was looking at me and she could tell by the look on my face it was serious. I ran out of her house without my shoes on, got in the car and drove here," Kim said.
Following a complicated leg surgery last week as well, Bob is also recovering from broken ribs, broken vertebrae, a broken shoulder, severe injury to his brain and possibly lasting memory loss – but his spirit holds strong.
Kim said, miraculously, that her husband is alert, recovering and has even started talking again.
"I was in tears, just really happy that he was speaking at all," she said. "The unknown is hard, but we are going to have to step through it one step at a time."
For Kim, there's a new meaning to the necklace her husband wears every single day.
Now around her own neck, it's an image of Saint Christopher. In Catholicism, the patron saint offers protection against sudden death to travelers.
Bob was gifted the necklace by his late mother when he was a teenager and has worn it religiously since.
To Kim, it's more than a mere coincidence that he had it on when he survived the freak accident as the truck barreled toward him.
"We have faith and we have loved ones we believe are watching over us, for sure. Because he should be dead, but he's not," she said through tears.
The Berglund family is raising money in an online fundraiser to help cover Kim and Bob's time spent away from work at the hospital and massive ambulance costs not covered by insurance. The family says the funds will also support the family on their long journey ahead to a full recovery.
The Elk Grove Police Department says its investigation into the crash is ongoing.
They could provide no updates Monday night on whether the driver of the truck will face any criminal charges.
