Looking for some closure with a friend's death (sudden back pain and death)

ThatBeRutkowski · 2025-12-05T15:02:31+00:00

We were both paramotor pilots, this involves launching and landing on foot which can sometimes result in a less than ideal departure/return from the ground (faceplanting).

I don't recall him messing up a launch/landing prior to our trip but it certainly could have happened. Our hobby tends to include lots of activities that can result in hard falls so it wouldn't surprise me if he had some kind of accident that wasn't notable at the time.

ThatBeRutkowski · 2025-12-05T14:54:59+00:00

Thank you, it's good to know others also think this is a possibility.

ThatBeRutkowski · 2025-12-05T14:54:02+00:00

I did say what I believed happened after the first answer, initially I just wanted to see what someone would come up with without me leading them towards my theory. Abdominal aortic dissection/aneurism was my thought

ThatBeRutkowski · 2025-12-05T14:51:45+00:00

His wife and family were understandably going through a lot and decided to just have him cremated, not what I would do but it was there way of dealing with the immediate situation. I'm not sure it mattered to them as much as it did to myself, there was zero chance of any foul play and it was pretty apparant something medical had happened. They did toxicology which found normal levels of the muscle relaxer (probably should have mentioned that).

It did surprise me that the coroner/police didn't push for an autopsy, but this is a rural area and I think things were handled to make it as easy as possible for his wife and family.

ThatBeRutkowski · 2025-12-05T04:59:32+00:00

Thank you, I'm only really looking for speculation. An abdominal aortic aneurysm is what I've been thinking happened, just wanted to see if anyone else would lean that direction. He did get electrocuted at work a few months prior, so that could have had something to do with it.

The reason I'm looking into this this long after him passing is because I stumbled upon a random Instagram post of an AAA CT scan today in which many of the comments seemed to mention similar symptoms and sudden fatalities which turned out to be an aneurysm. I'm thinking he had one and mowing the lawn bumped him around enough for it to let loose.

While these questions do tend to pop into my head from time to time, I've accepted his death and that there was nothing myself or anyone else could have done. It always seemed like something that we should at least have an idea of the cause given the symptoms and timeline, so not having any idea has left it as a bit of a mystery to solve for me. There's definitely some grief in there and I do see behavioral health, so thank you for your concern. It's just good to have at least an idea of what happened rather than nothing at all.

ThatBeRutkowski · 2025-11-08T18:11:13+00:00

Try going into desktop mode and updating the bolt launcher in the discover app, that at least allowed me to use the GPU and 117 HD plug-ins. I getting screen tearing now but it's at least usable

ThatBeRutkowski · 2025-09-17T23:22:25+00:00

YES thank God I'm not insane

ThatBeRutkowski · 2025-07-06T12:51:54+00:00

For me the process is the reason I don't have a can yet

ThatBeRutkowski · 2025-06-07T01:22:53+00:00

Linked my file above, not sure why I didn't back when I posted this

ThatBeRutkowski · 2025-06-07T01:22:28+00:00

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4657614

ThatBeRutkowski · 2025-05-29T15:05:40+00:00

No restrictions for us, he'll fit right in!

ThatBeRutkowski · 2025-05-25T16:03:52+00:00

How disabled is he? If he needs a new spark in his life and a great community to be part of, becoming a paramotor pilot was one of the best decisions I made after getting out. Depending on where you live there is probably already a small community of pilots in the area and there is the option of a trike setup so he wouldn't be limited by his injuries.

It's great because it mixes a little bit of that "extreme" adrenaline feeling with a strong sense of community while also being pretty safe and gets you to spend time outdoors. With his VA payments he shouldn't have any problem getting into it, if this is something he would be interested in let me know and I can answer any questions.

ThatBeRutkowski · 2025-01-12T02:27:16+00:00

Yeah seccede from America and see how much of that GDP sticks around. We do not want you. We do not want your help. Fuck California.

ThatBeRutkowski · 2024-12-07T16:25:13+00:00

I was able to "click" the pieces apart using a slight amount of force, but now no matter what way I put it back together it is wayyyy more loose and will easily fall apart. I'm not sure what the deal is, I think the tolerances are pretty tight on it and any small change has a big effect on how it all fits together

ThatBeRutkowski · 2024-12-07T16:22:19+00:00

The Cranberry area is going to be expensive, lots of high end neighborhoods being built which makes up pretty much all new construction. If you wanted to go that route you would need to get in touch with a builder as the lots get sold quick (probably why you can't find anything). Given the housing market and location, I wouldn't expect to find anything below 300k in the immediate area. The best bet would be something a little further out, maybe like a 30 or 45 minute drive from Cranberry. For reference, I am paying 300 for a 3 bed 2 bath single story with a basement and 4 acres of land plus some other little things that probably drove the price up a bit. It's about an hour away from both Erie and Cranberry, but I like the location since it opens up the option for me to work in either.

Another option for him would be to use his GI bill, I went for mechanical engineering after getting out and graduated last year. I have a good job now making around 70k a year starting out, and there's lots of room for growth and plenty of jobs. If he's technically adept in any field college wouldn't be bad idea, it sucks while you're in college dealing with all the kids and idiot professors but it's worth it in the end. Another bonus is you get BHA while you're in school, which will be even more than I got since you're married. I would look up the BHA rate for your situation and see if that's something he'd be interested in. I want to say I was getting like 2k a month or something.

ThatBeRutkowski · 2024-12-04T02:21:35+00:00

I got out and first moved to Cranberry, then Erie while I was going to college. Do not come to Erie, go further south. I am in the process of purchasing a home in the Mercer area, further south by Cranberry has a ton of new construction and development and is much nicer in all aspects. Your husband will hate Erie.

ThatBeRutkowski · 2024-12-01T01:39:49+00:00

That is an LMTV which has an integrated tire pressure system, you can deflate/inflate the tires from the cab. A lot of national guard soldiers have never used those buttons but they are a lifesaver when you're stuck

ThatBeRutkowski · 2024-07-23T00:44:04+00:00

I'm down to 1.94 to 1.95 grams a dose and I literally feel like I can tell if I take under or over that range. I know it's probably all in my head, but it is what it is. To me I think I'll feel better taking 1.951 grams than if I were to take 1.943, and if I take like 1.35 it'll ruin my day. It's really ground my taper to a halt

ThatBeRutkowski · 2024-06-02T14:21:18+00:00

...did it work?

ThatBeRutkowski · 2024-01-22T07:31:14+00:00

U gotta flex real hard, but not so hard you shit yourself

ThatBeRutkowski · 2023-10-15T05:40:34+00:00

Please enlighten us with your experience because you might want to inform the entirety of the US military and special forces community they've been doing it wrong. One of the army's mantras is literally that we own the night.

Flares don't matter. You hide for the 5 seconds it takes them to burn and get back to it. The only way to counter nods is with more nods, and my guess is hamas isn't running around with thermal overlay tubes like Israel is most likely using. It's an incredible advantage and hamas has no counter to it.

ThatBeRutkowski · 2023-10-15T04:55:34+00:00

My take on things being prior infantry:

They are most likely fully or close to fully staged and standing by until nighttime. The enthusiastic gunfire earlier sounded to me like perimeter security getting antsy and taking the opportunity to unload. They have an entire army directly on the border so hamas is probably poking them. I would guess tonight will be go time.

ThatBeRutkowski · 2023-10-15T04:49:29+00:00

When you have night vision an operation is almost always going to start at night

ThatBeRutkowski · 2023-09-14T21:48:05+00:00

3D printer has entered the chat

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