Robert Barnes on the mend!

[MXJeff]

I have finally found their email address, here is what she wrote. I have invited her to join the forum and let us know his progress.



From: Barnes, Wendy
Sent: Friday, May 19, 2006 9:22 AM
To: Jeff Harter
Subject: FW: Robert barnes story

Hi,

I am Wendy Barnes, Robert Barnes wife. Thankfully Rob is getting a little bit better everyday. It will be a long road but he is on the mend.

I believe it is support like this that helps my husband from be very angry about what happened to him and instead focusing on getting well.

Thanks so much,
Wendy Barnes

[Gatlin5]

Classy move Jeff, very nice!

[MXJeff]

Thank you!... I have written back and forth to her a few times now since this morning but she said she would come on here, so I will let her volunteer what she wants to!

[50ccMoM]

Nice Jeff..... 8) I hope we get to hear from her. I can't imagine what they are both feeling about all this.



Angie

[Wendy_Barnes]

Hi All,
My name is Wendy Barnes and I would like to start by saying thank you for all the kind words and prayers. This has been and continues to be very tough for Robert, myself, our four kids and all of our family and friends. Two weeks ago today the family and some friends were having a BBQ, swimming and motorcycle riding get together. It had been quite a while since we had been able to do this since this was the first weekend the weather was this nice. We live on 20 acres on the top of the mountain in Los gatosand my husband has a track/trail on our property that all the kids and adults love to ride on. Sometime about 3:30 they decided to go for a trail ride. When they were riding down the road that we live on the 3 suspects were out in the front on one of their homes drinking beers. Sometime between that time and 7:45 when they were headed back the three devised a plan to attack the riders on their way back. Apparently they tied a rope to a tree and waited to hear the riders approach. When they knew they were close they attached the other end of the rope to one of the suspects fence. My husband approached and did not see the rope. It hit him the only unprotected place, the opening of his full face helmet. He had the helmet, goggles, chest protector, kidney belt, riding pants, and some real nice tek 10 boots. When he hit the rope it literally tore his face off. The second rider on the approach saw something in the road that he thought was garbage. The dust from the dirt road was still settling around Rob. The second rider down shifted and slowed.....at almost a stop he hit the rope at his hands and handle bar. He looked and saw one suspect at one side of the rope. He jumped off the bike and went to shove the suspect and get the rope down since there was still other riders approaching. There were words exchanged between the riders and the suspects but quickly they realized my husband was in bad shape. One rider pulled off my husbands helmet and the blood and his face that was once held in by the tight fitting foam inside the helmet let loose. One rider rode back to my home, grabbed their truck and came back to pick up my husband. I was told about as they sped past to get Rob to the hospital. Once at the hospital myself and kids were whisked in a emergency room private room and were told it was bad and Rob needed to be stabilized before they could operate. That is when it hit me...this was bad, real bad. I picked up the phone and called 911. Next, they had stabilized him and wanted me to come in and see him. It was a scene out of ER. Doctors nurses all doing something to my husband. I stepped in closer to look at him. It took my eyes a while to send a message to my brain as to what I was looking at. Literally. I started to see the damages and turned to a doctor next to me and said, "its gone." The rope hit him on this mustach and tore all the way back to the edge of this cheek right were the helmet started. His cheeks were gone, this face was shattered. The facial trama surgeon, Dr. Melodie Lynd, began operating on him and many hours later were finished. She said that she was glad he had a mustache because it helped her to figure out what went where. There were hundreds of stitches, reconstruction and plates to put his face back together. He remained in ICU at Good Sam until the following Friday, much of that time in a coma. Everyday we would hope that this is the day when we would walk into ICU and he'd be sitting up with his eyes open. He was on a ventilator and was so swollen that with the tube down his throat helped to keep his passage open. It was on Mothers Day that he was released knowing that there may be more surgeries needed. That was all I needed for Mothers Day. :) Once home we noticed that sometime between that Sunday afternoon and the day before his motorcycle was stolen out of our Barn. The barn was locked up and a window broken to gain entry. With another new Honda 200, a KTM 50 and garden equipment and stereo etc and the only thing stolen was the bike my husband was riding at the time of the unthinkable. Do you think the suspects stole it? We do. Several days later I was driving my kids to school and heard that KGO radio had aired the story. I immediately called the radio station to ask how they had heard of the story and they said that they review police reports and when they saw this one they could not believe it. Within hours many reporters were showing up. The sentiment was the same across the board... shock, horrified, ANGRY. You can read a lot of info in the S.F chronicle and San Jose Merc along with a great one on NBC11.com (this one has the suspect after being bailed out pointing to the tree saying that it was not rebar like my husband was claiming it was rope. IDIOT! Yesterday was the preliminary hearing which was postponed until next Friday. We would love as many people to show up next Friday at the courthouse downtown San Jose to show their outrage. Pubic outrage toward this horrible act will help let the courts know this can not be tolerated. The media will be following it as well. -Wendy Barnes

[MXJeff]

Wendy~ thank you for joining I will do my best to get the time off of work to be at the courthouse! my families thoughts and prayers are with you.

Jeff

[Gatlin5]

My God Wendy, that was terrifying.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to you, your husband and family. It has to be unsettling still being around these so called neighbors. I sure hope these guys ending getting the maximum sentence, they could have killed him.

God Bless!

Joe

[KtmCowboy]

Very sorry to have heard about all the crap that happened with your husband. Great to hear he's on the road to recovery!

[50ccMoM]

Wendy,

Thank you so much for sharing ! Stay as strong as you are !! Iam praying for your family.

From a womans prospective... it's times like these that bring out the best of the worst of us !! Go get em !! :wink:

I hope your husband is not in to much pain. Take it one day at a time.


Angie

[ps91]

Wendy,
Our hearts and very best wishes are with your family...

This story generates so many emotions; sadness for your husband, sympathy for you and your children, outrage and anger that anyone would do such a thing, fear that someone else will think it's justified and try something similar and a burning wish that those three people will get what they deserve...a lifetime in prison.

I am hoping that the word gets out and many of our dirt bike community are able to appear with you at the courthouse. If there is a way we can give some long distance help, please let us know. Phone calls, e-mails??

[FASTnSPEEDY]

That's just sickening that someone would do something like that. I really hope you have a good turnout of riders to show the message that this kind of action should not be tolerated.

I'll keep your husband and family in my prayers.

[oldbuck]

Hi Wendy, I'm at a loss for words regarding this outrageous act, but glad that Robert is recovering well.

Our thoughts and prayers go to you and your family.

Please keep us updated on Roberts progress.

-dave

[Don M]

Wendy
All of our prayers for you and your family for a speedy recovery. All to well I know of these incidents. I work in a trauma center. I have seen the results of people using barbed wire to try to prevent riders from going into areas. As for here ( in NY) the PD seem to not have the evidence to prove who had done it, however in your case you have eyewitness statements.We cannot be there physically, but spiritually and mentally we are all there for you. Good luck to you and yours for a speedy recovery and an appropriate sentencing..............Don M

[ps91]

OK guys...let's see if we can help from across the country! I took this info from KTMTalk. I telephoned and sent an e-mail today.

The DA's office e-mail is:

gkennedy@da.sccgov.org

The Asst. DA handling the case is David Tomkins, his phone number is:

(408) 792-2792

Good luck getting these guys behind bars, Wendy!