I called my friend Stephanie in the hospital this morning, to tell her that we are all thinking about her and, honestly, to make her laugh a bit. Her sister Jennifer had sent me her hospital room telephone number yesterday but I did not trust myself to call her until today. After an ordeal like hers, who needs a weepy friend on the other end of the telephone?
As I expected, she was in amazingly good spirits. Drugs, of course, have something to do with it, but as I always say, better living through pharmaceuticals! We talked very little about the accident. After all, I was not calling her to get any kind of eyewitness account or to make her dwell on the ordeal. We talked about her surgery, how she will now be the bane of airport security with a plate and matching screws in her leg, how long she will be in the hospital and how young her doctors all look.
We did, however, talk about how worse it likely would have been if she hadn't been driving a car with such strong safety features. She agrees with me that her Subaru Outback did a good job of protecting them, and they plan to replace that car with another Subaru.
We also talked about anger. Despite her outward good spirits and certainly her gratitude for what did not happen and the kindness they have experienced, Stephanie is angry...as I would be, and as I am. She is angry that this other driver chose to get behind the wheel while intoxicated and in a split second, change another family's life forever. I asked if she knew to what extent the woman would be prosecuted and at this time, she does not know. Unfortunately for the other driver, however, Stephanie has an uncle who is a former district court judge elsewhere in NC and is very well-connected in the NC legal world. He has already started actions to make sure that this woman is prosecuted to the fullest extent that is possible.
Go get 'er.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Speechless
I received an email message this morning from my friend Stephanie in NC that still has me shaking. Stephanie gave birth to new baby boy Will on 7 March and is out on maternity leave. She and husband Brian are also the parents of Turner, age 5.
Last Thursday, Steph was driving with the boys and their two dogs. They were on their way home from picking Turner up from school when they were hit head-on by a drunk driver. The baby, who was in his car seat behind Stephanie, was not injured and Turner, who was in his car seat behind the front passenger seat, suffered a broken collarbone and cuts on his forehead. Steph has a broken leg that will be surgically pinned later today; she will not be able to put any weight on the leg for 10-12 weeks and faces considerable physical therapy.
Sadly, one of the dogs suffered a broken back and had to be euthanized. As Steph said, there were some very kind good Samaritans with the dog and while it doesn't take away all their pain, she was glad that he was not alone.
The Subaru she was driving was destroyed, but it certainly protected them from suffering additional injuries.
The state trooper who responded to the accident spoke to Steph later and she said that he was very angry and shook up because of Will and Turner being involved. The woman was arrested for driving while impaired - she blew a .14 in the breathalyzer.
Stephanie's words: "Everyone, please take care of yourselves and give your loved ones and pets big hugs."
Last Thursday, Steph was driving with the boys and their two dogs. They were on their way home from picking Turner up from school when they were hit head-on by a drunk driver. The baby, who was in his car seat behind Stephanie, was not injured and Turner, who was in his car seat behind the front passenger seat, suffered a broken collarbone and cuts on his forehead. Steph has a broken leg that will be surgically pinned later today; she will not be able to put any weight on the leg for 10-12 weeks and faces considerable physical therapy.
Sadly, one of the dogs suffered a broken back and had to be euthanized. As Steph said, there were some very kind good Samaritans with the dog and while it doesn't take away all their pain, she was glad that he was not alone.
The Subaru she was driving was destroyed, but it certainly protected them from suffering additional injuries.
The state trooper who responded to the accident spoke to Steph later and she said that he was very angry and shook up because of Will and Turner being involved. The woman was arrested for driving while impaired - she blew a .14 in the breathalyzer.
Stephanie's words: "Everyone, please take care of yourselves and give your loved ones and pets big hugs."
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