On Friday Feb. 7th Natalie and Lorraine Diaz were on their way to Las Vegas to enjoy a weekend with family and friends. At approximately 10:30 pm they were rear ended by a wreckless driver traveling at a rate of 110 mph. Natalie had taken a nap on the ride up and was just about to sit up when the impact forced the trunk into the back seat snapping the head rest off the passenger seat and sending the vehicle into a horrific spin out that carried them into the center median. At that point Lorraine was distraught and disoriented with what had just occurred and why there appeared to be no vehicle stopped. Natalie immediately knew she could not feel her legs and began screaming in panic. The scent of gasoline filled the car and the two began to attempt to exit the vehicle. It was then that they realized Natalie also did not have any grip strength or ability to lift herself out of the car. Lorraine with severe injuries of her own began to physically pull Natalie from the wreckage. She managed to get her just out side the door and onto the gravel. In her panic Lorraine was unable to locate her phone which forced Natalie to navigate through her own pain and fear of dying while dialing 911. Due to location issues CHP and emergency services did not arrive for about 1 hr. In the interim no witness or bystanders stopped to assist.

When CHP arrived he informed them that the other vehicle had in fact stalled out on the other side of the freeway. It was at that point they were notified that the other drivers were uninjured and had not attempted to make any contact. No arrest or criminal charges have been filed yet.

Natalie was taken to the Las Vegas Trauma unit, to undergo a 6 hr emergency surgery where she was determined to have a complete fracture between C7 and T1 vertebra, with a broken rib.

Current status is no feeling from the waist down, with possible permanent paralysis.

Recovery has been noted as 6 months to 1 yr of physical and occupational therapy with no guarantee of full recovery.

Insurance coverage status is undetermined and will require initial payments to be covered by herself to avoid any delay in possible recovery.