Stewartville family asking for community’s help after accident

(ABC 6 News) – A Stewartville family is asking for the communities help after an accident earlier this month changed their lives forever.

A little over two weeks ago, it was just a typical day of carpentry work for 60-year-old Casey Rieck. He was building a roof for a business in Altura. But while on the roof, he slipped, and now his family is trying to hold it together.

A loving grandpa, Sarah Syhakhoum says her dad Casey was her family’s rock, always there to lend a helping hand.

“He is a quirky guy who we love, he’s a very manly man and loves to build things and to read books,” Sarah said. “I could give him anything and he would know how to build it.”

On January 17, 2023, their lives were turned upside down.

While Casey was coming down off of the roof to come home, he slipped and fell 15 feet onto concrete.

“My mom was waiting for him to call her like he always does at the end of the day,” Sarah explained.

But he never did. The family quickly learned of the horrifying accident and rushed to the hospital.

“He hit his head pretty significantly, broke pretty much all of his ribs on his right side and had some brain bleeds,” Sarah said.

She says while she’s hopeful, her dad still has a long recovery and will spend 6-12 months in the hospital.

Doctors say brain injuries are hard to predict and they don’t know if he will talk or walk again.

But Sarah, says the scariest part, is not knowing if her dad will ever be the same.

“Just seeing that there is somewhat of him inside is reassuring but still scary obviously and wondering if he’ll be the same person,” she added.

Sarah says she has never had to ask for help like this but between the medical bills and helping her mom stay afloat, she can’t do it alone.

If you are interested in donating to Sarah’s family and her dad, you can find the Gofundme page here.