Credit: @loren.schauers/Instagram
Man Cut In Half By Forklift Suffers Another Devastating Blow Six Years After His Accident
A man who was cut in half by a forklift has revealed he’s suffered another heartbreaking blow.
Six years after surviving one of the most horrifying industrial accidents ever documented, Loren Schauers is still fighting battles most people will never have to face.
The Montana man was just a teenager when his life was permanently altered in a moment that defied medical odds, human endurance, and expectation.
While his survival has inspired millions online, Schauers has now revealed that the years since the accident have brought their own devastating challenges.
From chronic pain and total physical dependence to struggling with identity, purpose, and online exploitation, Loren says life after survival has been anything but straightforward.
And far from being left behind with the accident itself, some of the hardest blows have come much later.
Accident that was almost fatal
In September 2019, then-18-year-old Loren was working as a construction laborer in Great Falls, Montana, when the forklift he was driving veered off a bridge.
The vehicle plunged more than 50 feet, pinning him beneath its weight.
Amazingly, Loren remained conscious throughout the ordeal. He later recalled looking down to see that his right arm had exploded and that everything below his hips had been completely crushed.
Emergency responders rushed him to hospital, where he was placed on life support as doctors assessed catastrophic injuries that left little hope for survival.
Radical surgery and an impossible decision
Against overwhelming odds, Loren regained consciousness. What followed was a decision that would save his life but change it forever.
Doctors performed a hemicorporectomy, an exceptionally rare procedure that involves amputating the entire lower half of the body, including the pelvis. Part of one arm was also removed.
At the time, survival was so uncertain that Loren told doctors he was willing to live even if he became ‘just a head on a plate.’
The surgery worked, and Loren lived.
Building a life after being cut in half
Now 24, Loren lives with his wife and full-time caregiver, Sabia Reiche. The couple married in 2021 and bought their first home the following year.
He has since been fitted with a bionic arm and uses a specially made wheelchair, but the complexity of his injuries means he requires round-the-clock care.
“Life has changed drastically in that my independence, ever since getting the final body prosthetic, has been absolutely 100 per cent dependent on my caregivers,” Loren explained, during an interview with the Daily Mail.
Despite the physical limitations, Loren and Sabia began documenting their life online, sharing honest insights into disability, marriage, caregiving, and survival.
Social media quickly became their main source of income.
“Social media has been an absolute blessing,” Loren said. “We wouldn’t be nearly as financially stable without all the help we’ve gotten from all the fans online through the years.”
Struggling to find purpose six years on
But six years after the accident, Loren admits he has struggled to find direction.
“The last few years I’d say I was stuck in a slump of not knowing what to do, what I want to do, and just waiting for things to just happen,” he said.
Instead of waiting for answers, Loren says he is now making a conscious effort to regain as much independence as possible.
He continued: “So now I’m making an active effort to gaining back the absolute most independence I can possibly get in life.”
Even so, the couple admit maintaining content has become harder as time goes on.
“Our channel isn’t doing too good anymore,” Loren said. “Giving updates on how life was this month for the dude who got cut in half by a forklift is getting old.”
Online support and exploitation
In September, Loren and Sabia were forced to speak out after trolls created fake social media accounts impersonating them.
One Facebook account amassed more than 25,000 followers using stolen photos and videos.
“Yet another impersonator page y’all, you know the drill,” Loren wrote while urging followers to report it.
While grateful for genuine supporters, Loren acknowledged the darker side of online attention.
“The way I look at it is there’s always gunna be trolls, someone with no morals, who doesn’t care who they’re screwing over cause all they care about is themselves.”
Dreams of a family put on hold
Loren has previously spoken about wanting children with Sabia through adoption or a donor. However, he now admits he does not see it happening.
“We would like to have a family of our own but given how much of a problem my care has been, I don’t really see it in the cards for us,” he said.
He added that bringing a child into their current situation would not be fair: “It really wouldn’t be fair of us to bring a child or adopt a child in life and saddle them with a lifestyle like ours.”
Devastating blow that hurt the most
But six years on, Loren says the hardest pain has not been physical.
He revealed a deep and lasting rift with much of his family, claiming they withdrew once it became clear he was going to survive.
“It seemed like as soon as my family knew I wasn’t going to just up and die, they all quit showing up and providing any support,” Loren said.
He described feeling like a spectacle rather than a loved one: “They just wanted to see the spectacle.”
Loren added that his family struggled to accept his relationship with Sabia, saying they were ‘not able to understand’ that the couple ‘are truly in love.’
While he admits some responsibility for the distance, the isolation still weighs heavily.
“I just keep to myself… no one is ever messaging me first, trying to hang out, or willing to do anything so I’ve just over time become more and more of a hermit.”
Despite this, Loren credits his half-sister with saving his life, saying she fought doctors to allow him to choose the surgery that kept him alive.
“I thank God my sister was there and that Sabia was also there to help egg me on to fight.”
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