STUARTS DRAFT, Va. (WHSV) – When people drive on major roads, like Rt. 340 in Augusta County, people often overlook what’s stranded on the side of the road. It can range from litter, debris from weather or traffic accidents or carcasses left after an animal was hit. On May 28, the Nafzger family came across a 70+ pound pit bull in the middle of the road, which was still breathing when they passed by it.
Jeff Nafzger is an animal lover; he takes care of his dogs, many of which are pit bulls as well and felt called to help the stranded dog. Since Rt. 340 is a busy highway in Augusta County, many travelers are driving through the area at a “high rate of speed,” according to Jeff. Jeff and his family immediately pulled over to check on the dog and shielded the dog from oncoming traffic in hopes of finding help. However, one truck came “barreling” through the stretch of road he and his family found the dog on.
Instinctually, Jeff scooped up the pit bull and ran across the road to protect the dog, unaware of the damage to his face he suffered because the dog sunk its teeth into him. Jeff’s wife, Keisha, said she thought she lost him forever. Keisha was unaware of Jeff’s escape maneuver to protect the dog and initially assumed her husband had died. However, she was surprised to see him on the other side of the road, face in pieces.
When Jeff’s family ran over to him, he insisted he’d drive himself to the hospital. At the moment, he said he felt no pain but could see something hanging in front of him. That “something” was a part of his nose ripped off by the dog. Jeff’s son Kaleb called the rescue squad, and Jeff was immediately taken to Augusta Health. He was then flown to UVA for more specialized treatment. Keisha said Jeff was in surgery for two and a half hours as doctors applied local anesthesia to his face and gave him many stitches.
After this procedure, Jeff spiked a fever the next day. An infection was setting in after he developed cellulitis in his hand. It will be many months before the Nafzgers know what skin will live and die from the injury, but Jeff said he would do everything all over again to save the life of an animal.
“I couldn’t as a human being have a dog look me straight in the face like she said, in pain and suffering, and then have a truck roll right over him in front of me. I wasn’t going to do that. That’s not who I am, I’ve had a dog die and I held him in my arms as he died,” He said.
Keisha applauded Jeff’s bravery and has been by his side through every procedure. She said Jeff did the right thing, even if he did sustain injuries.
“I don’t know how someone stands there and watches a full 75-pound dog just get smashed underneath someone’s tire with its head sticking up,” She said.
Jeff had recently started a job at the Hershey plant in Stuarts Draft. Keisha said he hadn’t received a paycheck from them yet, but he did have access to health insurance through them. Now, he is unable to work at Hershey because of his injuries. Jeff said he wouldn’t be able to return to the plant until he was able to wear a mask again. In the meantime, the family is doing Doordash and Amazon deliveries to offset medical bills and daily life expenses.
The Nafzgers also have a GoFundMe page set up for the community to help support them. Both Jeff and Keisha said the community has already overflowed them with support and are hoping for more people to help Jeff after the accident. A link to the GoFundMe can be found here.
The pit bull they rescued did not live after Jeff attempted to save it according to the GoFundMe.
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