171 CHASE PRESTON LONG GONE LIGAMENTS Freshman Chase Preston sustains knee injuries following a longboard accident. On Sept. 11, 2020, freshman Chase Preston longboarded at River Oaks Golf Club in Searcy. One by one, his friends longboarded down a hill. The group waited for Preston, but he never made it to the bottom. As Preston longboarded down the hill, his kneecap caught the corner of a brick wall, hitting his patellar tendon and dislocating his kneecap. He later learned his patellar tendon was severed. When the ambulance arrived, Preston grew concerned about his injury. “At that point, I couldn’t bend my knee or, really, flex my calf muscle and quad muscle, so I was really worried about eventually being able to do stuff again,” Preston said. His kneecap was relocated on-site, and he was taken to the hospital for surgery the same night. Preston’s suitemate, freshman Kade Walker, remained with his friend during the accident. “When he didn’t make it to the bottom with us, we assumed he must have crashed somewhere, so we started walking back up, expecting the usual type of fall having road rash on your skin,” Walker said. “We see Chase lying on the ground, and we are all in shock wondering how that even happened. He hit his knee just right on the corner, and I would consider that to be a super freak accident.” Preston’s RA, junior John Allan Whitacre, went to the hospital to support Preston and was impressed by his positive attitude. “The medics were really helpful, and Chase was just cracking jokes and being really positive, and we all were surprised with how calm he was, and not experiencing what seemed to be much pain,” Whitacre said. “I got to watch every step of the process, and it was good to be with him and have as much fun as we could while in a hospital.” Whitacre worried about the struggles Preston might face as an injured freshman, but he was glad to see Preston’s positive outlook on the situation. “Chase has built a community so well, and his social skills go beyond his physical ability,” Whitacre said. “I had a lot of positive feelings coming out of what he experienced, mainly because he has such a positive outlook on it, and is so willing and excited to do the recovery and be 100% back.” story by Garcelle Hodge He KNEEds a break! Freshman Chase Preston stands in front of Armstrong Hall on Oct. 4, 2020. He recovered from a severe longboarding injury through physical therapy. | photo by Stanley Moralez
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