Early Monday morning Kristen Haggard was driving from school back home to pick up her daughter Hayley and drive her back to Austin where she attends the University of Texas. Sunday night Hayley's plane landed in Houston due to extreme weather and she had no other way to get back to college, she was driving down steubner airline and passed the intersection with spring cypress. She saw a car coming the opposite direction swerving out of control and immediately realized she was in trouble, she couldn't swerve right because there was a car blocking her so when the car swerved into her lane she jerked the car left to avoid as much impact as she could. Her car spun around and landed off the curb, her air bags were deployed, her seat belt broke from its hinge and both cars involved were totaled. No witnesses from the accident stopped to help her. The other driver stayed in his car. A few minutes later an onlooker stopped to help and called 911, Kristen mouthed her daughters number through the broken windshield but she was pinned in the car. Shortly after EMT arrived and cut her door off in order to retrieve her from the car, her head had hit the windshield and there was immediate concern about internal bleeding. Hayley followed the ambulance to the hospital where she was immediately taken for multiple CT scans, luckily she had no skull fracture or internal bleeding but she had a large hematoma on her forehead which swelled one of her eyes shut. Throughout the day she was assessed for various injuries including a dislocated shoulder and major bruising, but worst of all she fractured the C-1 and C-2 bones in her cervical spine, these bones are in direct connection to the brain stem which is essential for life and mobility. She was less than centimeters away from the possibility of being paralyzed or worse. Throughout the day doctors assessed her condition and ruled out the possibility of performing an incredibly dangerous surgery on these bones, instead she has been placed in a halo device. This device involves 4 pins that are implanted into the head and connected to rods that will hold her head and neck in alignment with the rest of her body for the next 3 months in which she won't be able to drive a car or shower. The reality of wearing a halo device isn't great, but everyone is so thankful that this is the best alternative to what could've occurred Monday morning. She is strong and optimistic about her recovery, after having endured one of the most painful procedures thinkable she is already hopeful about returning to work and teaching her students again in a few short weeks.
Surely this will be costly and anything will help. If you are not able to help financially, a prayer can go a long way.