What happened to John Wayne Thompson on January 11, 1992, has haunted him ever since.
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On that day, he endured a nightmarish, nearly fatal mishap that subjected him to the ultimate test, physically and mentally. With no one else around, his fate was entirely up to him. Maybe a higher power played a crucial role, too.
Twenty years later, in 2012, Thompson's mother, Karen, told The State Journal-Register, "To me it was like it was yesterday. It's almost like a branding iron when these tragedies happen. It's just embedded in you."
Thompson's stunning presence of mind, a robust will to live, and ironclad resilience helped to save his life. His Hollywood-worthy story - and the grit he consistently has shown since - captivated America more than 30 years ago. Today, a generation later, Thompson's saga of heartbreak and hope is still riveting.
What Happened to John Thompson?
He Had a Terrible Accident While Working With Some Farm Machinery
Thompson, who was just 18 at the time, was all by himself on his family's farm in the tiny community of Hurdsfield, North Dakota (population 64 as of the 2020 census). According to the Los Angeles Times, he was putting barley into a machine, fell on ice, and bumped against a rotating bar that was part of the machine.
Thompson's shirt was yanked right into the powerful, relentless mechanism, then his hands got caught. "For a few seconds, his body was a human propeller, twirling head over heels. The force pried off his arms just below the shoulders and pitched the rest of him 20 feet away."
What He Did Next Saved His Life
That gruesome incident sounds unsurvivable, but Thompson did not give up. There was not one speck of quit in this plucky country kid. Miraculously, he kept his wits about him despite his terrifying injuries and massive blood loss. He knew what he had to do right away in this dire situation.
He was initially knocked out, then came to. "I was lying on my left side. I looked at my right and couldn't see my arm and thought it was broken. Then I tried to use my left arm to lift myself up. That's when I saw it was off, that both of them were off."
Thompson somehow made the 100-yard trek to his house, turning the doorknob the only way he could - with his teeth - then he summoned help from his cousin Tammy by using a pencil to dial the phone.
Medical Personnel, Including a Skillful Surgeon, Saved His Arms
Bleeding profusely, Thompson climbed into the bathtub so he wouldn't stain the carpets. When he finally got to the local ER, people were flabbergasted that Thompson was still alive.
Like President Ronald Reagan after an almost deadly assassination attempt, Thompson managed to make a feeble joke, telling the staff of the med flight that was transporting him to Minnesota for treatment that his arms felt cold.
Actually, they were packed in ice to keep them viable during the arduous five-hour journey by vehicle and plane until surgery to reattach them could take place. It was an incredibly delicate, hours-long procedure that involved patching up Thompson's tattered blood vessels and nerves "with needles thinner than a human hair."
The Next Phases of Thompson's Recovery Were Grueling
Adjusting to the Physical and Emotional Aftermath
After his surgery, which was performed by Dr. Allen Van Beek and Dr. J. Bart Muldowney at North Memorial Hospital, Thompson was put "into a four week coma so he could properly heal." He subsequently endured a blood infection, additional surgery, and rehab.
While by just about anyone's standards his initial and follow-up operations were remarkably successful, Thompson will always have many physical limitations. He has gamely adjusted to them as best he can.
Thompson can't grab a fistful of socks out of a dryer. Inserting a key and turning it in a lock is tough. Buttoning a shirt? Nope. Handwriting is hard, too. But some of the biggest, scariest hurdles Thompson faced were the mental and emotional ones. Suddenly, this reticent, small-town guy was front and center in the harsh glare of the nationwide spotlight.
He Became a Reluctant Public Figure
As word of his harrowing ordeal spread, Thompson got the kind of overwhelming notoriety usually reserved for movie stars and pro sports phenoms.
"Admiration gushed John's way," the Los Angeles Times reported. "Emilio Estevez dropped by. Bette Midler and Bo Jackson called. Gifts arrived from Whitney Houston and John Mellencamp. Victoria Principal had some ideas about a movie. A member from his favorite rock group, Guns N' Roses, left off some tapes and T-shirts."
The Attention Got Out of Hand
People couldn't get enough of Thompson and his amazing ordeal of courage and survival. They wrote to him in droves. His mother was bemused and a little irked by the deluge of attention. Sometimes she had to gently keep well-meaning folks at bay to shield her son from the frenzy.
She reportedly said, "Most people were nice, but so many of them I had to tell, 'John is not Jesus Christ; he cannot cure your wounds; he is not a miracle person.' He had been built up into such a superman."
As for Thompson himself, he wistfully said in 1993, "I wish it was the way it used to be, you know, back then, before."
Thompson Had No Idea How To Cope With Being Famous
Fame must have been daunting in the extreme for this young man with deep rural roots who was quiet and preferred keeping to himself. He suddenly had stalkers and bodyguards, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Thompson seemed at times bewildered by the turn events had taken. It was enough to make anyone squirm.
"I didn't have any managers, I didn't have a publicist, I had nothing. And I knew absolutely nothing about anything."
Thompson Has Had Many Ups and Downs Trying To Get His Life Back on Track
He Struggled To Find a Comfortable Niche
Thompson tried many endeavors with mixed results.
Scholarships came his way, so he enrolled at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. He left when he was reportedly told that public speaking was off-limits for him. Thompson interpreted that to mean that the school's higher-ups were wary of the reputation-damaging fallout that might ensue for the University if Thompson said something that made waves.
He was a Realtor but that fell through after a while because he had trouble with things requiring dexterity like unlocking doors to homes he showed potential buyers, reported The State Journal-Register.
Thompson authored an autobiographical book in 2001, Home in One Piece.
An attempt at running for a political position in 2004 ultimately washed out, too. As of 2022, he reportedly "lives mainly on state and federal disability payments."
To Thompson's Chagrin, His Accident Still Defines Him
No matter what Thompson has attempted, his inescapable status as an awe-inspiring survivor defines him to this day. Now, so many years after, he remains ambivalent about it.
Speaking to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune in 2022 at age 48, Thompson said, "I keep trying to get away from it, but I have nowhere else to go, so I just keep going back to it. I can't find nothing else. I try doing other things and they just haven't worked out. It always comes back to people knowing me and wanting to use me."
