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Metro Detroit community rallies around man involved in crash after Tough Mudder

Posted at 9:37 PM, May 23, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-24 16:23:51-04

Friends of Ian Panter are hundreds of miles away and concerned for his future. The man known to be in great physical condition is now in a hospital outside of Philadelphia.

Panter was there for a Tough Mudder race over the weekend, running for miles through mud and over obstacles.

After the grueling hours-long workout, he was on his way home to Michigan. That's when another vehicle slammed into his vehicle. 

His family tells 7 Action News Panter is now suffering from a traumatic brain injury, and has been unresponsive since Saturday.

They also say the 36-year-old from Oak Park basically doesn't have a scratch on him and no broken bones.

Jared Gorback has known him for years, and understands the fight ahead.

Gorback told us, "Just hoping and praying he can return to his normal life. Be able to work and play and do another Tough Mudder."

We talked to his aunt Arlene Greer by phone, who says she's extremely close with her nephew.

"It's killing me. Such a wonderful, sweet man, who is just, he's like golden. And then this happens to him. I can't stand it. I can't stand it. That's how I feel," Greer said. 

Panter is scheduled to have a brain scan in a few days.

A GoFundMe page has been set up, which has raised nearly $12,000 in less than a day. His family says the money will go to his recovery or another person in need.