Cockerham stable after surgery
Published Friday, October 10, 2008
JACKSON — Just one day after being critically injured in a Vidalia bus accident, James Cockerham is resting in a Jackson hospital and preparing for a second round of surgeries.
Cockerham, the driver of the bus, was airlifted to Jackson after the accident and was in surgery from 9 p.m. Wednesday until 5 a.m. Thursday morning.
Cockerham’s daughter, Pam Frank, said the first surgery was meant to clean Cockerham’s wounds and stabilize his legs.
Both of Cockerham’s legs were broken in the accident, and he also sustained a major facial laceration that cut an artery, Frank said.
“He has a long road of recovery,” Frank said.
On Friday, Cockerham will undergo another round of surgery on his legs.
“That’s a big surgery,” Frank said.
Frank said she has been told by nurses her father will likely spend the next five days in the intensive care unit and possibly one month recovering in Jackson.
In addition to her family’s concern for her father, Frank said she also has a growing concern for her mother, Cockerham’s wife.
“She’s hurting real bad,” she said.
And while Cockerham’s family struggles with their father’s condition, Frank said the calls of support the family has been getting have helped.
“We appreciate all the prayers,” she said.