‘Hammer’s Last Ride:’ Oshawa motorcyclist struck in New York dies after 30 operations in 42 days

The Oshawa motorcyclist who was riding in New York with his wife when they were struck by a suspected drunk driver has died after weeks in a coma and dozens of operations.

The biker, Craig “Hammer” Sutherland, 57, and his wife, Charity Hogan, 50, were riding through Catskill on Sept. 10. As they rode through a rural area, a 2000 Subaru Impreza sedan ran a stop sign and struck the pair.

According to local reports, the Impreza driver, Derik Wirhouski, 50 of Cairo, New York, is charged with six offences including:

• Driving while intoxicated
• Reckless driving
• Refusal to take a breath test
• Failure to take a breath test
• Failure to yield the right of way
• Consumption of alcohol in a vehicle

Hogan and Sutherland each suffered severe injuries in the crash. Paramedics rushed both to the Albany Medical Centre about 50 kilometres north of Catskill. An ambulance took Hogan but Sutherland needed to be airlifted.

Both Hogan and Sutherland lost a leg in the crash. Sutherland also suffered severe internal injuries, while Hogan broke her pelvis. Due to the severity of his injuries, the hospital put Sutherland into an induced coma.

The pair were insured for treatment in the United States. However, this insurance only covers so much, prompting Hogan’s uncle, Randy Helmle, to launch a GoFundMe to support the couple’s recovery.

Helmle provided regular updates on the couple through the GoFundMe page charting their numerous surgeries over the last month. Hogan was able to visit Sutherland for the first time a week after the crash. Though Sutherland remained heavily sedated for the next few weeks, Hogan visited regularly.

By Oct. 2, Sutherland’s leg had to be amputated again at the hip due to a spreading infection. “Although the news was not great, Charity remains positive and focused on her and Craig’s recovery. There is no giving up with these two,” wrote Helmle.

Hogan continued to recover well over the following weeks with several visitors from Oshawa going down to visit, including her parents, and began to receive skin grafts at her amputation site.

However, Sutherland’s condition worsened again by Oct. 8. Though still stable, his heart was not working at full capacity and concerns arose about blood clots. The medical team tried blood thinners, but this prompted fresh bleeding at the amputation site. “Poor guy. Seems to be one step forward and two steps back,” Helmle wrote, “But nobody is giving up so let’s keep the faith and be strong.”

Eventually, Sutherland’s hip was made stable enough for him to be transferred to the Plastics Department for reconstruction on Oct. 16. His heart though remained a serious concern. He was brought out of the induced coma but remained heavily sedated.

On Monday, Sutherland began to experience organ failure. The next day Helmle confirmed Sutherland’s broken bones had not begun to properly heal. Yesterday, Helmle announced that Sutherland had succumbed to his injuries about six weeks after the crash.

“It is with broken hearts that this update is the end of Craig’s courageous battle. There was nothing more that could be done and we lost Craig today,” Helmle wrote, “When we think of hammer let’s remember the last thing he was doing before tragedy struck. Riding his Harley with Charity by his side. Two things in this world he loved more than anything.”

Hogan is still working toward recovery. The GoFundMe has reached nearly $115,000 of its $150,000 goal in its ongoing quest to support her.