Car Accident

The Accident

On Sunday, October 19^th, Dean and I were heading back to Atlanta from Jacksonville, Florida. I was driving the first leg, and Dean was napping in the passenger seat. We were on I-10 somewhere near Sanderson, Florida. All I remember is that I ran off the left side of the road. When I tried to get back on the road, my car did a lot of spinning and then came to a stop perpendicular to the road. The last thing I saw was an 18-wheeler heading right for my car, on Dean's side, with black smoke coming from his tires as he tried to stop. Neither Dean nor I remember the impact because we both blacked out. When I came to, I was laying in the grass with several people swarming around me. Dean was stuck in my car. They had to cut the roof off my car to get him out of the vehicle. One of the emergency workers came over to tell me that Dean wanted me to know that he loves me. I am so very grateful for Dean saying that. Amazingly, I wasn't scared when I heard that. They called for two emergency helicopters. Dean was taken in the first, and I was in the second. During my ride, they tried to get an IV started. They tried seven times and never got one started! We were taken to Shands Hospital of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. The emergency room was full that night. Most of the time, I was in a hallway just waiting for someone to tell me what to do next. Ever person that stopped to talk to me, I asked where my husband was. I wanted to see him. No one would take me to him, but they kept saying he was going to be okay. I had x-rays done to my leg, my pelvis, and my chest. They noticed a bump on my head, so they put me in a neck brace and gave me a CT scan. I tried my best to stay calm, but I really needed to see Dean. I told a doctor that I needed to go to the bathroom. A nurse came by and helped me get out of the bed and walk me over to a restroom on the next hallway. I asked that nurse about my husband and he said he was in the bed right beside the bathroom. I got to walk over and see Dean. It looked like he was in a lot of pain, but he was able to talk to me and tell me he was so happy to see me vertical. We reassured each other that everything will be okay and I went back to my bed on the other hallway. Another time, after the CT scan, I asked another nurse if I could see Dean. She rolled my bed right beside his. I was able to take a bag with all of his belongings so I could finally get to a cell phone. I knew my parents were still in Jacksonville and they would be waiting for me to call them and tell them we got to Atlanta. I calmed myself down and called them. My mom answered and I tried to slowly and calmly explain to them the basics. They started out in my Aunt's vehicle without even knowing which way to go. Dad thought enough to grab their bathroom bag and medication, but they only had that and the clothes on their back. Gainesville was about an hour and a half away. While they were on the way, I was discharged. I was only there for about three hours, but it felt like forever. They took me to the room that Dean was in. I had to ask for a pair of pants because they had cut mine off of me. I sat and waited beside Dean's bed with ice on my leg. Soon after, my mom and dad showed up. I told them to be careful with my right side and just hugged them tight. Dad made a lot of phone calls to Dean's parents and other people. A nurse came in and told us that they were admitting Dean to the hospital. Initially they said that Dean had several broken ribs and a punctured lung. Later we found that wasn't exactly true. They took Dean to the 10^th floor to the Trauma unit. He had a private room and we stayed with him for a little while the first night. Mom and Dad convinced me that since I was injured too, I needed to go with them to the hotel and try to get a good night's sleep.

The Injuries

Heather – I was released from the ER with a diagnosis of a minor concussion. I have bruises on my arms from the seven times they tried to start an IV. I also had bug bites on my arms from laying in the grass after the accident. I have a huge bruise on my right thigh. It was really swollen and hard after the accident. It's still swollen, but it is starting to feel softer, which is a good sign. I also have a bruise on my right side, the back of my right shoulder, my neck hurts if I turn my head too far to the right or left, and the right side of my head is bruised.

Dean – Dean ended up not having any broken bones. He was diagnosed with Pneumothorax. He had air in his chest cavity that could have been caused by a puncture or, more likely, the impact from the accident. The air wasn't clearing up at first and that is why he spent four days in the hospital.

Monday

I only slept for about two hours the night before. I could only sleep on my left side and I was concerned about how Dean was. I felt better when we went to see him that morning. Dean was sitting up in bed drinking some water. I made some calls to the insurance company and cancelled some appointments. Around lunchtime, my parents and I went to Target to get me a real pair of pants instead of the "paper pants" I had been wearing. We also got some essentials and a set of clothes for Dean. They had cut everything off of him after the accident, even his belt! His shoes were left in the car because he had taken them off while he was napping. My Aunt, Uncle and some other family members went to take everything out of my car. They reported back that they aren't sure how anyone could survive that accident and that we are miracles. Dean's mom flew in to Gainesville and met us at the hospital. It was a really good thing to have her there. I tend to be too nice to Dean, so she did a good job of making him get up and move around and do things that he should be doing. I'd ask Dean if he wanted to do something and she'd tell him. It was a good balance. Monday night I got more like four or five hours of sleep.

Tuesday

We were told that Dean would most likely be discharged this day. I was told that they had a room set up where I could give Dean a shower. We went into the room and it was literally, a room with a drain in the middle of the room. He set on this toilet seat looking thing with armrests. I took the hose and rinsed him off, then washed him up and rinsed again. It was like a car wash! It was quite interesting. I was being extremely careful not to hurt him and he was just focusing on breathing. My shoes and the bottom of my pants were soaked when we were done! They wanted to do another chest x-ray and see if the air was clearing up in his chest. When the doctors made their rounds that afternoon and said they wanted to keep Dean, I was upset. Of course I want him to be better, but I was already getting tired of the hospital. My parents decided to go back to Jacksonville that night so they could get new clothes and a good night's rest. I begged everyone to let me stay with Dean that night. I didn't want to leave him anymore. When I was away from him, all I wanted to do was be back with him. I stayed in the hospital that night in a chair that I found out later pulled out into a bed. I only got about four hours of sleep again. They came in around 1:00 AM and took another x-ray.

Wednesday

We heard that his x-ray from 1:00 AM looked better but they wanted another one. I keep asking if they were going to come get him several times during the day. It's hard to live on hospital time. He was up and walking around the nurses station and even "jogged" a little down the hall. I yelled at him because I was afraid he was going to hurt himself and because I couldn't keep up. I was still limping a little from my hurt leg. He gave me that mischievous little smile and made my heart melt. We finally got to see the doctor late that afternoon. Dean's mom, who developed a cold while in Florida went to CVS to get her some medication while I hobble down to the pharmacy to get Dean's pain medicine. It felt like the pharmacy was a million miles away and it took forever for me to get back to Dean. We finally left the hospital and headed back to Jacksonville. Dean was laid back in the passenger seat, Dean's mom was driving, and I was in the backseat. We were welcomed with hugs back at my Aunt and Uncle's house. They had also made us a yummy steak dinner! We got to see all of our stuff from the car again. Most of it was covered in little pieces of glass. Even though I didn't care about all the material things that we owned, it was nice to see some familiar things again. Needless to say, we slept soundly that night.

Thursday

Dean's dad had been car shopping for us from Richmond. He knew we needed a car and we thought buying one in Jacksonville would be a good idea. On Wednesday my dad and Uncle went to check out the car. On Thursday, Dad, Dean's Mom and I went to see it. It is a 2009 Toyota Camry. It's a little darker than my previous car, but it was pretty. I think it was love at first sight. I was able to test drive it and did pretty well getting behind the wheel again. It felt good. It handled well like my old car. I even drove it on a little stretch of I-10. When we told the dealer about our accident, he told us, "A Toyota will give its life to save yours." Even though we all agree that God is the one and only reason we are still here, I think that the Camry did help and that is why we are sticking with a Camry. The new car is an early graduation present for Dean. He's a little sore at the fact that it is HIS gift and mostly MY new car. We are blessed. My mom and aunt "watched" Dean while we were car shopping. At one point, I get a call from mom and she says, "He's getting in the pool!" Dean had decided to take a dip in the pool, and I think it did him really good.

Friday

My parents had rescheduled their plane flight for this day. We decided it was time to try to get home to Atlanta. We packed up the car. Dean's mom started driving. It was a really rainy and dreary day. We were able to find out exactly where the accident happened thanks to our GPS that cut off when the car got hit. All we saw at the accident site were a lot of tire marks. There were also some big divots in the median. We think that was because of tow trucks or emergency vehicles. We took our time with the trip. We stopped a lot and walked around a bit. I drove a good deal on I-75. It was nice to be behind the wheel and the car did a good job. Our neighbor, Matt, helped Dean's mom bring up our luggage from the car. We slept well back in our apartment.

Saturday

Dean's mom and I went to the grocery store to get some essentials. She washed up some of our clothes and got us settled before she flew back to Richmond. We were on our own for the rest of the day and are doing well. We're taking it slowly and deciding what to do next. Dean can't fly for four weeks. IBM sent his work laptop down so he can do some work from home. I am planning on going back to work on Monday. We are looking at the train schedule to see if we can get Dean back to New York this weekend. I might end up riding the train up with him. I had been planning on going to NY this weekend to visit Dean so I would already have my ticket back home.

Thank Yous

Thank you to everyone! I can't list the names of everyone who has sent up prayers for us. I probably don't even know some of the people that have been praying for us. We are so very grateful to everyone and we know that God is good. Thank you.

My mom & dad: Thank you for rushing to the hospital to be with us. You two were there to hold me when I cried and to keep reassuring me that everything will be okay. Thank you for making calls and for rescheduling your flight so you could stay with us longer.

Dean's Mom: Thank you for making the trip to Florida and for being the "bad cop" with Dean. He wouldn't have been able to recover as fast without you keeping him motivated. Thank you for driving us back to Jacksonville, then Atlanta, and helping us get settled back at home. Thank you so much for the new car. It means so much to us.

Dean's Dad: Thank you for car shopping for us. You did an amazing job from so many states away. The car is perfect and we appreciate it so much.

Aunt Jeanette and Uncle Jim: Thank you for going to get the stuff out of my car with Kenneth & Carol. I don't think I would have been able to see the car again in person and I know it had to be hard on you digging through all the glass to get everything. I really appreciate all you did for us and for opening you home and even your room again for us to be comfortable. We are so blessed.

Request

Everyone we talk to has asked us to let them know if there is anything they can do for us. There is only one thing I can think of. Praise God. I can't find the words to thank Him enough, so maybe if everyone who has been praying for us will praise Him, it will help. God is so good. He is amazing. He is awesome. He is our Healer and our Protector. Dean and I are so very blessed.

Pictures

If you would like to see the pictures, you can find them at: http://picasaweb.google.com/hmlewis06/CarAccident?authkey=bI9o0JsxhwM#5261293400714893922. The pictures are really scary and graphic, so please prepare yourself before you click on the link.