Larry Syferd was injured in a plane crash on July 21, 1949, when the Ryan PT-22 he was a passenger in crashed shortly after takeoff due to engine failure. The pilot, James Eakins, age 23, suffered superficial injuries from the crash. Lawrence Syferd, age 17, suffered a broken neck and deep cuts on his scalp. The plane was a total loss from the crash.

Ryan PT-22

Larry Syferd spent the next nine years as a patient at the Greenfield Hospital. He eventually became a ham radio operator. He eventually became friends with Lester Dent via the airways. Dent and several other ham radio operators got together and raised $1,200 to aid Syferd. This money was used to pay for a hospital stay in Kansas City, Kansas. A local Kansas City neurosurgeon, who wished to remain unnamed, agreed to exam Larry at no charge. The money will be used to pay for hospital expenses.

On April 19, 1958, Lester Dent and his friend Kenneth Arnold arrived by way of a small aircraft. They will fly Larry to Kansas City for the examination.
An article dated October 6, 1959, stated that Larry was being flown to the Institute of Medical Rehabilitation at Bellevue Medical Center.

Larry Syferd died in 1983 at the Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. He was 51 years old and a resident of the Greenfield Manor facility.