A Minneapolis-based DJ was run over by a Tesla Cybertruck while taking time to meditate on the last night of the Burning Man festival – and is now facing $50,000 in medical debt.
Both of James ‘JP’ Patrick’s feet were then crushed under the 6,603-pound vehicle as the ceremonial burning of the man took place nearby in the Nevada desert.
‘Our beloved friend JP stepped away from the chaos to do something simple and grounding: meditate on the playa just outside his camp,’ an online fundraiser to help his family with his medical bills reads.
It notes that he ‘was sober, had a light around his neck and sat down to soak up the final glow of sunset’ when the accident happened.
‘In that quiet, vulnerable moment, a Cybertruck art car – nearly silent against the roar of the night – ran him over,’ the fundraiser reads.
‘Pinned beneath the vehicle, JP had to scream for help before the car reversed and released him.’
Patrick’s wife, Jade, and their 13-year-old twins were standing nearby, and fortunately did not see the accident – only the aftermath.
‘I’ve never seen inside someone’s foot like that,’ Jade recounted to the San Francisco Gate. ‘It was just totally exposed, bone and tendon.’
James ‘JP’ Patrick, left, had taken a moment on the last day of the Burning Man festival to sit and meditate, when he was run over by a Tesla Cybertruck. He is pictured with his wife, Jade, and their 13-year-old twins at the annual festival in the Nevada desert
He had to be airlifted out of the Black Rock desert to a hospital in Reno, where he underwent reconstructive surgery
‘That’s when I was like, “Oh my God, this is f***ing serious.” Thank God I didn’t actually witness it. Neither did my kids.’
She went on to say that the Cybertruck driver stopped and fully cooperated with getting her husband help before he was airlifted out of the Black Rock desert to a hospital in Reno, where he underwent reconstructive surgery.
It was a ‘genuine accident,’ Jade said, but declined to say whether the family is pursuing any legal action against the driver or the Burning Man festival for the incident.
The car that had run over her husband was an ‘art car,’ which is a vehicle that has been redesigned into a mobile art piece for the annual festival.
Burning Man’s organizers have their own licensing program for these ‘Mutant Vehicles,’ which have to be unrecognizable from their previous appearance.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Burning Man organizers for comment as Jade said the family is ‘lucky’ that the accident wasn’t worse, and JP was able to fly back to their home in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
‘He’s not going to be walking for months, but we’re so lucky,’ Jade said. ‘Had they been six inches more to the left, or whatever, they would have just completely crushed his chest and/or head, and he wouldn’t have been with us.’
Still, the family faces an uphill battle, with Jade estimating her husband owes at least $50,000 for the helicopter ride out of the playa itself.
Jade and their 13-year-old sons were standing nearby, but did not witness the accident
The crash came amid the annual burning of the man on August 30
He is then likely to incur even more costs because he is expected to need in-patient rehabilitation, which may be difficult for JP and Jade, who have two toddlers in addition to their 13-year-old twins.
‘JP and Jade are both self-employed working artists,’ the GoFundMe says. ‘Their livelihood depends on steady creative work, which this accident has now put on hold.’
It went on to ask for any donations to help the family with JP’s medical expenses, noting he ‘has always been a source of creativity, kindness and leadership.
‘Now he and his family need our community’s support to carry them through this unexpected and life-changing ordeal.’
As of Thursday evening, it had raised over $50,000 for the Patricks.
But they are not the only ones who faced tragedy at this year’s festival, as Vadim Kruglov was found dead on the last day of the festival in a pool of blood.
Vadim Kruglov, 37, has been identified as the homicide victim who was found in a pool of blood at the annual Burning Man festival at Black Rock, Nevada
Sheriff’s detectives quickly called the incident a homicide and initially asked the public on August 31 for help to identify the remains.
Officials have since said Vadim was pronounced dead at the scene, though the cause and manner of death are still ‘pending further investigation.
Kruglov’s friends called him a ‘true hero of Burning Man’ and are working with his family to bring his body back to his hometown of Omsk.
‘He pored his soul into our community: building the camp, creating an art installation, always ready to help others and being kind and responsive to everyone,’ said one of his friends, Sofiia Shcherbakova on her Instagram.
