becky uehling | grant tribune-sentinel Craig and Joycelyne Engel

Sept. 20, 2013 is a day former Grant resident Craig Engel will remember forever. It was the day when he died, not once, but twice, after being involved with a fatal two-vehicle accident near Genoa. Although the crash took so much from him that day, it has, over time, renewed his faith in God and has led him on a new path in his life, with a new partner beside him.  

Traveling south on a country road near Genoa that day, Craig was t-boned by a westbound truck with five passengers that failed to yield at the right-of-way. Craig’s vehicle was spun around and ended up in the ditch, where he was left unconscious, unable to breathe, and still strapped into the vehicle by his seat belt. 

The person who was on scene first that day was a friend of Craig’s, a fellow firefighter that Craig served with on the local fire department. Craig’s friend also was related to one of the five individuals in the other vehicle, his nephew, who, unfortunately, ended up dying.  

Craig’s friend called 911 and then assessed everyone involved in the accident. He concluded that Craig was the most critical, and he went to work to try to help him in some way. Craig’s badly damaged door was jammed shut, but by climbing through the back seat, he was able to give CPR to Craig, which helped to save Craig’s life.  

When crews arrived to the scene, they took Craig to the Medical Center in Central City, where he was immediately prepped to be flown to a larger hospital, Bryan LGH in Lincoln.

Suffering from two broken clavicles, a punctured spleen and a traumatic brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation, doctors weren’t even sure he would survive the flight, and, in fact, Craig’s heart stopped twice during the trip. Craig did survive that day, but was in a coma for two weeks at Bryan LGH, and then began months and months of rehabilitation, first at Bryan, and then several more months at QLI (Quality Living Incorporated) in Lincoln, before being able to return home. 

Before his accident, Craig worked as a welder for Lindsay Corporation, the maker of Zimmatic Irrigation Pivots, a job that he loved and took great pride in. Welding was a skill that was ingrained in him from a young age by his grandfather, Bill, who Craig helped on the farm. However, it was an experience he had during the accident that gave Craig hope that one day he would get to weld again.  

“I don’t know if I was in my car or in my coma, but I remember seeing my grandpa with these two sparklers in his hands, which I think were actually arc sticks,” he said. “I just clearly remember his face and the way he looked. And he said, ‘Craig, everything will be fine. You’ll be welding again at Lindsay,’” Craig said.  

It was tragic for Craig that he was suddenly incapable to weld or hold his job, but he was determined to get his life back. 

 “He was literally like a baby again,” Lisa, Craig’s mom, said. Craig had to re-learn to walk, talk, write, feed himself and even shop after his accident. Progress was slow and grueling, but Craig pushed through, and was eventually able to get his welding job back at Lindsay, just three years after the accident.  

Although Craig’s health and abilities were progressing steadily forward, he couldn’t say the same thing about his marriage, which ended divorce. The new situation in his life presented other challenges for Craig, including a desire to find true love.  

“I decided to try a dating website, and on December 4, 2021 is when I met Joycelyne,” Craig recalls. 

Joycelyne is Craig’s bride of just a few months. Their’s was a whirlwind romance, but the couple knew they were destined to be together, despite the concerns that each of them received from their separate families. 

“We were very skeptical and concerned,” Lisa said. “But Joycelyne is absolutely wonderful, and a true God-send for Craig.  

Originally from Ghana, Africa, Joycelyne, an ordained minister who has her own church planting ministry called The Lord’s Pasture Ministries through the Assemblies of God church, actively plants churches in Africa, and she is hoping to do so in America as well.  

For several years Joycelyne had lived in Texas, but she felt the Lord calling her to Nebraska. This was well before she had met Craig, and she had no idea what God had planned for her. However, after meeting Craig, and getting to know him and his faith story, it became much clearer, she said.  

Joycelyne and Craig were married in July 2022 in Columbus and now live in Humphrey, where Craig continues to work in nearby Lindsay at Lindsay Corporation, and Joycelyne works at planting more churches. She is hoping to plant a church in the couple’s hometown of Humphrey, she said.  

 The couple is planning on doing missions together with Craig giving his testimony of God’s faithfulness in bringing him back from death, and also sharing with others his life-after-death experience and seeing his grandpa. 

“Craig has a message about the goodness of God, and the message that there is life after death,” Joycelyne said. “I am here to support him 100 percent in continuing to heal and in his work as a welder, and as he is ready, to help him move forward in telling others about God.” 

Craig continues to marvel at the way God worked to save his life the day of the crash. From key people and events that took place in just the right order during that fateful day, which sustained his life, to his progression in his healing, his ability to remember how to weld, and everyone who has helped him on the way. He knows God has a plan for his life and he is determined to honor God with his actions, he said. 

Craig’s parents, Lisa and David (Turkey), are also thankful for everyone who has supported them and Craig throughout the years and has helped him get to where he is today. They all give the Glory to God, and they look forward to seeing what the future holds. 

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