“I returned and saw under the sun that—The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all”. – Ecclesiastes 9:11
A few weeks ago (May 4th) a very good friend of ours John Platillero, well known behind the scenes for his work with concert promoters, son was stuck by a car on his bicycle. Following are the details from his father, John: “One minute he was riding his bike, the next he was waking up in an emergency room. Dave, just 24 years old, was hit on his bicycle and tossed over 100 feet by a car that had run a red light. He had only been in Nashville for 3 weeks! Having completed a BS in electrical engineering, and a secure job in hand, he gave it all up to pursue his dream to become a music producer in Nashville and was 3 weeks into his course at the world renowned Blackbird Academy.
We thank God for everything that occurred after that to save his life. From his cracked bicycle helmet that he had just picked up in Knoxville the week before; to a sandwich delivery young lady who felt God telling her to pull over and help – she placed a tourniquet on his massively bleeding arm; to the lady holding Dave’s head steady in the street and praying over him; to the owner of Blackbird himself being by his side in the emergency room for hours until we got there from Knoxville.
Since then, there have been so many amazing people calling, emailing, texting and visiting that we have lost count. For those who know him, this kid is about community. About friendships. About “do for the one what you wish you could do for the many” helping others attitude.
He has suffered a severe spinal injury at L1 (lower back) and is currently paralyzed from the waist down. The other injuries are minor by comparison – broken scapula, deep cut on his left forearm, and some other scrapes and bruises. His cognitive abilities are as strong as ever, and he was singing and playing guitar just two days after surgery. He is in rehabilitation and recovery at this point. On this journey, he will need prayer, courage and strength to fight every day to build new nerve connections. Doctors tells us that possible outcomes range from paralysis from the waist down, to the possibility of walking again with the use of leg braces”.
We have no way of knowing when an accident is going to take place. It could happen to anyone at anytime. So the expression, “wrong place at the wrong time” is just a manner of speaking but not necessarily an exactly accurate statement.
It is obvious that God sometimes allows tragedies, but to come to some conclusion that He causes them is a little bit out there, regardless of your belief system. We live in a fallen world for right now, but that’s not the end of the story………
Like too many other things, we sure don’t have the answers to why tragedies happen in this life, but we are just going to do what we know and that is to stand with David and his family in prayer and any support we can muster up.
For updates visit: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/davidplatillero