Jeremy and I were on our way home from Fred Leroy when i slowed down, all lanes were blocked for an accident up ahead. I said "It looks like a wreck up ahead" and WHAM. First i noticed a terrible pain at the back of my head, then i realized we were headed fast into the car pile up ahead so I stood on the brakes stopping about a yard from the car in front of me. I looked and Jeremy was laying across his broken seat on the floor screaming that his hands were bleeding. I looked and they weren't so i tried to tell over him "YOUR HANDS ARE NOT BLEEDING! DON'T MOVE! YOU HAVE NERVE DAMAGE!!" Meanwhile I'm screaming too, I've never been hit in the head so hard and it made no sense to me because the head rest is padded. I looked in the rear view and saw a smashed white SUV with writing on the side and I told Jeremy again to STAY STILL and that it looked like a city truck, probably insured. We could see the flashing lights from police etc at the accident up ahead but they couldn't see or get to us. Jeremy was yelling WHY AREN'T THEY HELPING US?! so I called 911. A man opened Jeremy's door asking if we were ok and Jeremy started to try to get out so then I'm yelling at the man DON'T LET HIM OUT! When the first ambulance got there they were trying to decide who to get first and we were both yelling that the other was hurt worse and thankfully they listened to me and took Jeremy cursing them out for leaving me. I really didn't think I was injured badly but he was definitely most critical.
Jeanette got to the hospital pretty fast. My head and neck hurt very badly but even she didn't think I was badly hurt. She saw Jeremy, he was in the Trauma unit, begging to be put together. We were poked, prodded, and examined head to toe. I tried to sneak out of my room to use the bathroom and got caught and lectured but you could tell they weren't really worried about me either until my MRI came back. The room filled with people wearing dark blue and one said, We are taking over this patient! Why wasn't she taken to trauma like her husband?
They found 2 bleeds in my brain - I guess that was why my head hurt so badly! I was admitted and moved to CCU. Jeremy was also admitted and moved to Step Down, I believe that means a step out of CCU?? 2 floors below where I was. His nurse brought me a phone and asked me to talk to Jeremy. That he needed surgery and was refusing it and demanding to see me. They told me he would be a paraplegic without the surgery so i calmed him, told him surgery wasn't really a choice.
3am the second night they moved me to the floor Jeremy was on and wheeled me to see him. He looked so terrified and freaked out!!!! but was happy to see me. We only had part of that day near each other. They decided my bleeds could be monitored outpatient since they weren't spreading and I was sent home. I was back up there the next day for his surgery. The neurosurgeon and cardio surgeon were arguing about who should do what. Cardio explained that if neuro messed up and Jeremy needed a fast transfusion he would just bleed out because his aorta was too narrow to handle the blood volume. Neuro acted insulted, said they WOULD NOT make a mistake and that if cardio went first he might not be strong enough for them to fix his spine. I was 100% backing cardio but Jeremy flat refused the heart surgery. He was just so terrified!! They should NOT have argued in front of him and I don't think they should have listened to him - he clearly wasn't getting it.
The surgery went smoothly, finished in 3 instead of the projected 6 hours in spite of some complications.
He was a mess. Still is! He came home 3 days after surgery and later that day he realized the risk he took refusing the heart surgery. Had a full blown panic attack sure his heart was about to explode. Checked his heart and oxygen, pulse was high, but was sure it was the panic, gave him a xanax and he calmed down and slept.
Oh. Back to the accident. The other driver told the police he was looking at his phone and didn't see the accident ahead or me slow down. His vehicle went under ours which explains why we were rolling so fast after he hit us. It was not a city vehicle but it Was a company car, Ocean View Transportation. I called Atty. Matt Knowles from the hospital and he showed up really fast!
We got an Enterprise rental 4 days after I got home, a 2021 Malibu.
I went for a brain CT last Thursday. No one called me with results so I screen shotted the test and took it to Dr. Gold to read. He said it showed little bleeds all over my brain and told me to stop driving.
Then who will drive the Malibu?? I'm the only one on the lease and Jeremy and Jess can't drive.....
Funny, the day before the wreck we found out Jeremy was approved for SSI. Our money problems were almost over!! Now we are also looking at a hefty settlement from this accident!!
We just have to survive to collect it
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