歪歪漫画

RED WING, Minn. 鈥� If Marty Kelly had moved his truck forward, instead of backward on Nov. 26, he's not sure what would've happened.

Weeks after becoming sheriff-elect of Goodhue County, Kelly was injured in a wood-cutting accident on his property. An oak tree that needed to come down spun, falling a different way than he originally thought, and crushed him.

With injuries ranging from broken ribs and vertebrae to a torn meniscus, Kelly somehow got up to his Ranger and headed back toward the house. If he had parked his ranger forward, it likely would've been crushed.

He has no answer for why he moved the vehicle backward. He just did.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a miracle," Kelly said.

Now "elect" no longer part of his title , for the last eight months -- while recovering from his serious injuries -- Kelly is adjusting to his new role and looking to make a difference.

His doctors have given Kelly a year to fully heal. Kelly said he's made great progress, saying he qualified to use his handgun in April, which put him ahead of the curve by three to four months. Even with five metal pins placed in his hand and an irritating thumb, he believes his recovery is going well.

鈥淚 try not to complain," Kelly said about the pain and soreness.

Goodhue County Sheriff Marty Kelly sustained serious injuries while cutting wood on his property last November. Here, with cast and sling on his person, Kelly is sworn in as sheriff in front of family and friends a month after his accident.

Immediately, Kelly and the department was tasked with replacing numerous positions held by individuals with decades of experience.

鈥淚 had to get a whiteboard to keep up on all the hiring," Kelly said.

The whiteboard has fewer positions needed to be filled, but at one point there were as many as 12. Kelly said when you have 304 years of combined experience walking out of the door -- Kelly includes previous Sheriff Scott McNurlin and Interim-Sheriff Kris Johnson -- it's tough to deal with in a short amount of time.

鈥淚 knew coming in, first six months, all personnel," Kelly said. "It鈥檚 just going to be getting people in places that we need them. Fill some jobs.鈥�

Add on the fact that within three days of being on the job, a radio in the jail failing didn't make it any easier on staff.

Luckily for Kelly, Jeremy Lerfald was hired as chief deputy and Paul Gielau -- Kelly's opponent in the sheriff's race -- stayed on until June to oversee the patrol side of the department.

鈥淗e just continued on with how he was operating," Kelly said of Gielau. The two were high school classmates. "We worked great together. So I didn鈥檛 have to worry. I felt really comfortable with the staff we still had.鈥�

When Kelly talks about the accident on Nov. 26, goosebumps roll up and down his arm. Getting loose from the tree that pinned him, getting to the truck and then getting a ride from his father to the hospital was strictly the result of adrenaline, Kelly said.

If the adrenaline had worn off or never come, and he had been forced to sit next to the downed tree, Kelly doesn't know if he would make it up the hill. With a punctured lung, Kelly doesn't know if he would've been able to catch his breath properly either.

Kelly said he's thankful to be healing. And he will likely bring a friend with him next time he decides to cut a tree down.