Cape Coral company offers prosthetic legs to double amputee

• A below the knee prosthesis could range from about $5,000 to $25,000
• An above the knee could be about $8,000 to $60,000

A North Fort Myers woman who lost her legs in an I-75 crash has been offered help from a Lee County prosthetic company.

Joshua Ryder, owner of Island Coast Orthopedics in Cape Coral and a certified orthotist, said he read of the plight of Danielle Hagmann, 30, and wanted to help. Hagmann, who has no health insurance, has been moved out of the ICU at Lee Memorial Hospital after having one leg amputated just above the knee and the other mid-thigh.

Hagmann witnessed a one-car crash along I-75 near Luckett Road during a heavy rainstorm early Sunday morning as she was returning from an outing with a former high school classmate.

Aid sought for North Fort Myers woman who lost legs helping crash victim

While she was helping the crashed motorist another car was not able to swerve out of the way, hitting the crashed car and pinning Hagmann's legs against the guardrail. The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating, but preliminary information showed alcohol was not a factor. Hagmann cannot pursue an auto insurance claim until the the findings of the investigation are released to determine who, if anyone, is at fault or if it would qualify under auto insurance coverage.

Ryder said his company has helped in similar situations, especially in cases of hardship. "It is something we have done for years," he said.

Ryder's sister, Laura Ryder, is also a certified prosthetist and orthotist. The siblings are eager to help Hagmann with her first set of limbs.

"I say help," Joshua Ryder said. "I mean donating them so that as a locally owned business we can reach out and help someone in our community."

The Ryders have been in the orthotics and prosthetics business in Lee County for almost 30 years. Laura Ryder, 63, got started in 1989 and her younger brother, 54, followed along in 1996. Their business covers a wide range of issues from simple arch supports to braces to computerized ankles, knees and full prosthetic limbs.

Initial contact between Island Coast and Hagmann's family has taken place but Ryder said she must heal before anything can be started. Hagmann has been transferred out of the ICU and is now in a one-person room, a hospital official said.

Joshua Ryder said first steps for any amputee includes use of a piece of elastic-type material called a shrinker sock.

"It takes the limb and shrinks it and shapes it to get it ready," Laura Ryder said.

Until they are formally called to work with Hagmann, the Ryders said they won't know the extent of the work she will need. Amputations due to a traumatic event are different than those from an illness or disease.

"It depends on how the amputation was done," Laura Ryder said. "We don't know what we're getting into."

Three injured, one seriously, in I-75 crash near Luckett Road

Joshua Ryder said that a below the knee prosthesis could range from about $5,000 to $25,000 while an above the knee could be about $8,000 to $60,000.

"This depends mostly on the style and capability of the foot, ankle and/or knee chosen," he said.

Recovery from injuries such as Hagmann's can take up to a year or more, he said, both physically and mentally.

However, Laura Ryder said that no situation is impossible and if Hagmann wanted to return to work as a massage therapist she could. Hagmann was working on a freelance basis at Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa at Coconut Point in Estero.

"It may be hard. There is no limitation other than herself," she said. "She will have to try it."

Others have also come forward to offer help, including a 3-D printer company from Tampa and a group of massage therapists from Naples who have collected money for Hagmann.

Help asked for woman who lost legs in crash

"I think the offers are wonderful, and we intend to reach out and contact all of those with made an offer," said Steven Berkowitz, Hagmann's father. He said the two gofundme.com accounts have collected $10,000 in just over two days. "It has been awesome."

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Fund set up

The Danielle Hagmann Medical Fund has been set up by her family. Donations can be made at Wells Fargo branches in Southwest Florida.

There are also two gofundme.com pages  — one by her father and one by extended family  — have been started.