A longtime Anchorage horse-drawn carriage driver is in stable condition after he was seriously injured in an accident.
Jon Nauman, 75, was injured on April 14 while training two of his horses with a wagon off Birchwood Loop Road in Chugiak, according to Nauman's daughter, Janus Reyes.
According to Reyes, Nauman was driving the horses by himself when he was thrown and run over by the wagon. He hit his head, broke 11 ribs and fractured his scapula and the top of his sternum. Reyes said Nauman was found unconscious at the scene, but is now in stable condition at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage. She said now he's "sort of" awake and is taking a lot of pain medication.
The horses were apparently spooked, Reyes said, though they're still not sure why. She said the horses are now fine.
"Dad doesn't really remember what happened," she said in a phone interview Friday. "So we don't know exactly what caused them to be scared."
Nauman owns and operates the Horse Drawn Carriage Company based in Chugiak, which does sleigh, wagon and horse-drawn carriage rides. Reyes said with six horses, Nauman's operation is the largest horse-drawn carriage operator in Anchorage. The carriages are most noticeable in downtown Anchorage, where the company's bright white carriages are a common sight. According to their website, the company has been operating in downtown Anchorage since 1983.
Reyes said the company is still operating tours as her father recovers. She said Nauman, who finished his fourth Lavaman triathlon earlier this month, was in excellent physical shape prior to the accident. Doctors said that athleticism played a major role in his survival, Reyes said.
"There's a ton of hope," she said. "He's one of the most stubborn people I know."
Reyes has set up a Caring Bridge website to keep people updated on her father's progress.