James believes /*Maynard*/ was ejected from the car after an accident on Highway 180 near Fowler Avenue Friday afternoon. James, her husband, and two others were going camping when a tire blew, causing the car to flip several times. All four people were injured and rushed to a hospital but Maynard couldn't be found. Friends searched until dark and then posted fliers. "We went to the S.P.C.A. and checked out all the stray units and we still couldn't find him," said friend Scott Warden.
Maynard was found nearly 24 hours after the accident. He was lying along a fence line, not too far from the scene of the crash. The vet who treated Maynard says his injuries show he probably landed on his chest after the crash. His worst injury appears to be a dislocated sternum. "The liver is inflamed. The lung tissue is inflamed. With time, the body itself is going to repair that. We don't have to do that; the body is going to repair that. Luckily!" said Dr. Nicolaas Reijne of Cedar Veterinary Hospital.
Maynard is a lucky dog, but his story doesn't end there. A Facebook campaign to help pay Maynard's veterinary bills raised $900 in one day. "I once read that Fresno is one of the least charitable cities in the U.S. Looking at the reaction involved with Maynard, I find it hard to believe," said Warden.
Two people, including James' husband, remain hospitalized with serious injuries but are expected to recover. Now, the recipient of so much generosity is giving back, too, helping in his owner's recovery. "It's just a really good ending to such a terrible accident," said Warden.
Many of the people who donated to Maynard's Facebook page are total strangers who don't know Maynard or his owners. Friends say they've probably already raised enough to pay his initial cost of treatment and his follow-up care. Whatever excess they raise will go toward an animal charity.
