John Chapman injured in brush-hogging accident at his home

By Rosemary K. Otzman
Independent Editor
John Chapman of Sumpter Township is in the University of Michigan Burn and Trauma Unit healing from amputations of his legs after an accident at his home on Judd Road.
Sumpter Township Police Captain Eric Luke said that at about 7:14 p.m. on Wednesday, July 17, police and fire fighters were summoned to Chapman’s home in the 48000 block of Judd Road for an injury accident involving a farm tractor.
Captain Luke said the emergency workers found that the 52-year-old male homeowner, later identified by friends as Chapman, was mowing an area with a “brush hog” pulled behind the tractor, when he apparently ran over a log, causing him to be thrown from the tractor.
Once on the ground he was then run over by the engaged brush hog. He called for help and neighbors summoned police.
Chapman was airlifted to the University of Michigan Hospital with extensive and extremely severe injuries to his lower extremities.
His son Richard traveled from his military assignment at Fort Campbell, KY to be with his father. A second son Robert lives in Belleville and also was at his father’s side, along with their two sisters.
Richard said the initial injuries were a severed right foot and a severed knee on the left leg, plus damage to the shin.
At the hospital his left leg was amputated below the knee. Doctors attempted to reattach the lower right foot, but damage to the blood vessels made that impossible, so his right leg was amputated below the knee, Richard said.
Richard said there was no damage to any other part of his father’s body.
Chapman was in an induced coma and on a ventilator as several surgeries took place. On Sunday, they extubated him and took him off sedatives and he was coherent enough to understand what had happened, Richard said.
Another surgery to try to fix the left knee was set for Tuesday. Richard said the worst-case scenario would be if the knee couldn’t be repaired that doctors would have to amputate above the knee.
His two sons have indicated they will take care of their father.
“He’s doing OK,” Richard said.
John Chapman ran his Sumpter Auto shop at Five Points in downtown Belleville for many years and just moved to a new location he hoped to open soon on Sumpter Road, just north of Oakville Waltz.