According to the CDC, car accidents occur over 2 million times yearly in the United States. Most people believe this could never happen to them personally or to anyone they know, but serious and fatal car accidents are more common than people may believe. Regardless of whether you are safely traveling, fatalities and accidents may come out of nowhere.

This past Friday, February 9th, my family faced the eye-opening reality of this situation.

My 18-year-old second cousin, Macy Wassenaar, and her boyfriend Layne were traveling to Sioux Falls via I-90, planning to do some shopping away from home. At the Brandon ramp, a white car was merging onto the interstate and clipped the back of their truck, causing it to lose control at 80 mph. The truck rolled down a steep ditch several times and landed just over an interstate fence in a field. The white vehicle causing the accident slowed down momentarily, then continued down the interstate and left the scene immediately with no opportunity to be identified.

A vehicle following the accident immediately stopped and rushed to the scene. Thankfully, this good samaritan was able to help Layne and Macy out of the vehicle and to a safe distance away from the truck, essentially saving their lives. Moments later, the truck became engulfed in flames. He offered Layne his sweatshirt and called 911. He stayed with them until emergency services arrived. 

Both Layne and Macy were sent by ambulance for further evaluation of what was thought to be minor injuries. Layne was checked out and was admitted as a hospital patient with a broken nose, bruised lung, and a sprained and strained shoulder and hip.

Macy was complaining of head pain and was sent for a scan to determine her injury as well. The Neurologist called her mother, Shonna Wassenaar, to determine her proximity and noted that Macy wanted to see her. At this point, Shonna was only aware that Macy had been taken to the emergency room as a precaution. Layne’s father was able to arrive prior, staying with Macy while his mother stayed with Layne. 20 minutes later, Shonna was able to arrive at the ER to see her daughter and have a quick meeting with the neurologist.

Macy had a broken jaw, a fractured left ankle/lower tibia, and a lacerated liver. Worst of all, she fractured her skull, leaving bone fragments that caused her artery to tear and blood to pool and clot within her brain. This is medically referred to as an epidural hematoma. Due to her injuries, emergency trauma surgery was necessary immediately.

Macy came out of surgery 3-4 hours later and the surgery went well. CT scans showed there was more blood clotting in her brain than initially thought so the incision in her cranium was substantial. She had no hair, a swollen face, and her head completely wrapped in gauze. Fortunately, she did not need a breathing tube or further sedation and was speaking to the nurses when she woke up.

The following day, CT scans were clear. Her face was continuing to swell and both eyes were swollen shut, with blue and black bruising.  Over the next two days, Macy was unaware of the severity of her injuries. She was cognitive and speaking but was facing severe headaches and nausea.

She asked the nurse, “How hard did I hit my head? Do I have a concussion?”

Layne was able to be released Saturday morning with facial bruising and a shaky emotional state.

Monday morning the Neurologist went through the CT scan results, which were clear of any possible blood clots or brain welling but showed her frontal lobe was causing pressure headaches. These are expected to come down naturally in the coming days but further pain medication was prescribed. The bandages were removed to reveal her bald head and over 100 staples. Her incision drainage tubes were removed and asked to see herself on her phone.

After seeing her missing hair, her first words were, “Mom, I look horrible!”

Macy is still currently in the hospital but continues to heal every day.

I hope this story will open your eyes to the reality of car accidents and how important safe and cautious driving is. If you think this could never impact you or your loved ones, think again. The next time you decide to travel, set the phone and other distractions down, and focus on the road.

If you are further interested in Macy’s story, updates and donations are available to be made through her CaringBridge.