Perham Schools Coach Recovers After Severe Motorcycle Crash

In September, Ryan Beachy, a teacher and coach serving Perham Dent Schools, was seriously injured in a single vehicle motorcycle crash that sent him by air to a Fargo hospital. Doctors treated multiple life threatening injuries including 13 broken ribs, four broken vertebrae, and lacerations to his liver and kidneys. He spent time on a ventilator and, after a long hospital stay, was discharged, but complications have slowed his path to recovery.

Beachy’s recovery has been physical and emotional. Family, friends and the school community describe steady progress as he works through rehabilitation and the setbacks that can follow complex trauma. Faith and local relationships have been central to that process, offering practical help and the social support that patients and caregivers often rely on in rural towns.

Across Otter Tail County, students and staff at Perham Dent Schools organized fundraising efforts to ease mounting medical and recovery expenses. School fundraising included shirts bearing the slogan Can't Break Beachy, and local groups coordinated events to raise money and keep the family connected to the community. A benefit at Lakeside Golf Course began on Nov. 21 and runs through Nov. 23, with proceeds directed to Beachy’s medical and recovery costs. The wide turnout at these events reflects the tight social fabric of the area and the importance of school leaders to small communities.

The response also highlights larger issues about access to trauma care and financial risk for families in rural Minnesota. When serious injury requires transport to a regional trauma center, patients face not only medical recovery but travel, lost wages and long term rehabilitation needs. Many rural households turn to community fundraising to bridge gaps in insurance and income replacement. That pattern raises questions about how emergency medical systems, insurance coverage and local services support residents after catastrophic events.

Local health providers and emergency responders play a crucial role in outcomes for severe trauma. The need to airlift Beachy to Fargo illustrates the regional nature of specialized care, and the community response underscores how social networks fill critical needs. As Beachy continues rehabilitation, his case is a reminder of the intersection between health policy, rural healthcare access and community resilience.

Beachy has shared a message of resilience and gratitude to those helping him recover. With ongoing fundraisers and community support, neighbors and students are working to remove financial barriers to his rehabilitation and to celebrate the teacher and coach who remains an important presence in Perham Dent Schools and throughout Otter Tail County.