The photo on the left was taken almost 2 weeks post motor vehicle accident. I really
needed my picture taken sooner because I spent almost two weeks with blood and glass
in my hair and my eyes. A co-worker came to my apartment and washed my hair for me.
Pictures of bruising were not taken until later.
The car wreck occured the evening of December 17, 1988 on Sprinkle Road in Kalamazoo,
Michigan. The driver of the car I was in was negligent in that the car had an electrical
problem. We didn't have headlights. I did not know it. We were in a snow storm headed
back to her house after picking up her daughter and a neighbor's son from the movie
theatre.
What I remember is we were headed south bound on Sprinkle Road and I saw a car headed
north bound flash their headlights. I asked Cindy if there was something wrong and
she replied, "No" or something like that. The next thing I remember is a car headed
west bound on Avenue H (I learned later was the cross street) was not going to stop
and we had a green light. That meant they had a red light. I said, "Watch out Cindy."
The next thing I remember is somebody asking me if I was in my period. (No, I had a
hysterectomy in 1977.) I was in the hospital, Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
I don't remember being taken from the car. Cindy later told me I was talking but I
don't remember that. She said she could not understand a word I was saying because it
was a foriegn language and the paramedic said I was praying. So I was apparently
speaking in tongues which was not of my faith at the time. As far as I am concerned
I was unconcious. I was unconcious for the ambulance ride to the hospital.
My face broke the windshield in this head-on collision in what is called t-bone fashion.
I was told the car we were in sprung back, spun around and hit the other car a second
time, spun around and slid into a telephone pole and a fence which is what stopped
our momentum. So we had three major impacts. Yes, I was wearing my seatbelt.
Considering my face broke the windshield in a head-on collision wouldn't you think
a Cat Scan was in order? A Cat Scan was not done on me at Bronson Hospital. I was
released. I was physically placed in a van and brought to the hospitality house.
I could not walk on my own power. I apparently called a friend of mine in Kalamazoo
and he and his lady friend brought me back to Bronson Hospital because my eyes were
beginning to swell. A Cat Scan still was not done on me. I was once again released.
My friend Gerald in Grand Rapids brought me to our friends Dan and Gladys in Hastings
where I stayed the night. However, during the night I had problems and Gladys brought
me to Metropolitan Hospital where they too did nothing for me. I apparently blacked
out in the emergency room but the nurse did not notice. I was released.
I was brought to my own apartment where home health aid visits were ordered and
physical therapy was eventually ordered. The nurse aid was scheduled for three hours
only once a day. Note, my eyes were swollen shut and I could not walk on my own power.
The day the first nurse aid came to my apartment, I rolled off the bed onto the floor,
dragged myself to the door and opened it. I asked who are you because I could not
see who was at my door.
By December 29th I complained of feeling faint and laid down on the living room floor.
My nurse aid was preparing my lunch. I had her to call my doctor but she got an
answering machine. I told her I did not have time to wait for him to return the
call, to call her place of employment. She placed the call, put the phone in my hand
and left because it was the end of her shift. Can you believe that? A medical
emergency and she left me on the floor by myself.
I called my place of employment and was told me to dial 911. I dialed zero because
I did not have the strength to dial 911. The operator placed the 911 call and I was
billed for that emergency call.
My blood pressure was so low only one number was heard by the paramedic.
I was taken to Metropolitan Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan and a Cat Scan was done.
I was admitted to step down ICU for lack of a bed in ICU. The neuro surgeon who admitted
me told my friend Gerald to pray for me. Yes he did. He told me, "If you decide to
sue Bronson Hospital I will be your witness or words to that affect. That may not be
an exact quote. But he did say if I decided to sue the other hospital he would be a witness
for me.
The Cat Scan revealed that I had an arachnoid tear and a cerebellar hemmorhage. I would
like to know what my insurance company nurse thought when she read that because I have
read her notes prior to being admitted to Metropolitan Hospital. She actually wrote that
she thought I had convinced myself that I was brain injured because I had been working
a brain injury unit at the time of the car wreck. What nerve! I was working both the
adult and the pediatric units at a rehabilitation facilty yes. People need to be careful
inputting their personal opinions because it can influence what other people think and
give cause for wrongful treatments.
I spent fifteen days in the hospital. The psychologist thought it best for me to return
to my home state to be near family. However, the only family member who visted me in
Michigan was a cousin whose boss paid her way to visit me. That was Debbie.
My daughter said she did not want somebody living with her. My son's wife's parents decided
to visit during the time I was supposed to be down to stay with them. Therefore I ended
staying with my daughter. It turned out to be okay however I got an apartment too soon.
Skipping ahead: I ended up fighting social security for disability benefits. My rejection
letter stated that I could return to my usual job of being a secretary. I was a nurse
not a secretary. I had so many restrictions on me had I been a secretary I could not have
gone back to being a secretary. They did not pull in all of my medical records for starters.
I had to hire an attorney to get disability benefits which was only $325.00 a month.
Skipping ahead again: In April of 1994 I had a sleep deprived EEG done. This was the first
one done on me since the car wreck. I was to have breast surgery and since I was a brain
injury survivor it was necessary to have an EEG done. There was spiking and I was diagnosed
with petit mal seizures. I was started on Felbatol and eventually placed on Dilantin along
with Felbatol. Then I was to take nothing but Dilantin at night only. That is when I had
several seizures back to back. That was an abrupt change to my system to go from two seizure
medicines three times a day to only one at night. (Note: What I like about this part of my
story is when the paramedics broke in through my dining room window they found my dog lying
across my body protecting me. Wow, thank you Princess! I miss you!)
I had many full blown seizures from that date, November 22, 1994 until May 1995. I continued
to have seizures on and off for a few more years.
Skipping ahead again: I tried working several different telemarketing jobs to no success.
Eventually I was able to work as a nurse again. However, it was a strain on my back. I had
been diagnosed with spinal stenosis in September 1997. Hawaii Vocational Rehabilitation
had plans to have me trained to build websites. The training had begun when my knee cap
dislocated at my part time job. I had built a memorial website for a guy in Texas and he
paid to relocate my service dog and me back to Texas.
Skipping ahead again: Social Security then claimed I owed them a bundle of money and the real
battle began. That is still an issue. I started paying them back but they then decided to tag
on money that had already been paid back. I appealed that and they stopped my payback to
reinvestigate my case. My case is still pending. I have proof they took those funds from me
twice already. I elected to pay them back when I do not believe I owe them at all because I
do not want to risk them trying to make my husband pay them when he was not part of the picture
when all of this occurred.
I am still having physical problems from that car wreck of 1988. My daughter exited my life
the end of 1994 taking my grandson with her. My then insurance company, USAA, dropped me
stating that head injuries build upon head injuries and they did not want to end up having
to pay for maybe another head injury. I received another concusion in 1992 and apparently
another one March 17, 2011. My husband and I were rear-ended in Branson, Missouri while on
vacation. Air bags do not inflate with a read-end impack. And that is yet another story.
Please note that the car we were in the wreck with in 1988 was totaled. The front of the car
was smushed and came to meet me. There was nothing left of the dashboard. To view the pictures
of the car from the wreck of 1988 click here. For photos of me post car wreck of 1988 click here.
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