As you can see one of my good FB SN Mom's had a pretty rough weekend so I thought I would share with you/her OUR story in hopes to show ACCIDENTS happen even to the "BEST" of us. First I would like share that I am so upset with the NEWS for printing this without all the facts. The most important of all is that the brakes failed on the wheelchair! This mom is a WONDERFUL mother and her son is SO BLESSED to have parents to care for him. This was an accident due to failed equipment and all of us with wheelchairs now how the brakes can be. Don't beat your self up, You are an AMAZING mom and an inspiration to us all. Love You Guys!!!
Ironically tomorrow is the anniversary date of Danny's fall back in '07. I don't think I've ever publicly admitted this one as I felt just AWFUL, but to show that our "Special" kids can and do indeed have accidents.....well here it goes.
The kids and I were out at my girlfriends house for the afternoon and when I came home I saw my husband trying to back up the enclosed car trailer with the extended cab long box pick up in our driveway. So I drove the van (we had the full size green machine at the time) in the garage, turned it off, and left the kids in the vehicle to watch TV while I helped Dan back the trailer in. I "thought" that was the safest spot for them to be. Mind you at this time Avrianna was 4.5yrs old and Danny was 3. I was unaware how attentive a 4.5yr old Lil Girl could be, AS she thought she would help Mommy by getting Danny out of the van while I helped Daddy.
I had NEVER shown her how to get Danny out of the van, but she was obviously watching ME.
I could not see the van in the garage as I was in the back of the trailer directing Dan. When all of a sudden I heard this UNGODLY SCREAM!!!! One that I have never heard before nor wish to every hear again. I ran as fast as I could back around the trailer towards the garage.....I was in flip flops so I went ass over tea kettle trying to get there and my shoes went flying. Dan threw his truck in park as he was flying out the door and when we got to the van this is was we found............
Danny flipped over face first on the ramp n concrete floor with his wheelchair on top of him and Avrianna laying along side of him.
I couldn't breathe ~
Danny was knocked out cold and very banged up. I know you are not suppose to move someone with a possible head trauma but I COULDN'T leave him there like that. So I held his head tight to his head rest and Dan n I flipped his chair over, placing it back on it's wheels. Avrianna was still screaming.....I'm sure in shock, and she also got hurt. I told her to RUN to our neighbors house, tell Lynn what happened, have Lynn look her over, and STAY THERE.
I wasn't sure if this was the it for Danny and didn't need Avrianna to see that .........
I was screaming at Dan to call 911 (yes I didn't have my cool calm demeanor, like I normally do in a crisis situation). I didn't handle this crisis well AT ALL ~ I was a MESS!! Danny was still KNOCKED OUT and I really had thought this possibly killed him. Once the first responders arrived Danny was starting to open his eyes alil, but he still didn't cry or make a peep (he NEVER did cry for this fall). I guess he thought I was making enough fuss for all of us :( It was very difficult for the paramedics n EMT's to figure out too what extent injuries Danny had when.......he already has severe brain damage. All of the "normal" signs are already abnormal for Danny's normal. He can't talk, his eye don't dilate right, there is no body tone, seizures, etc.
*SIGH*
When the ambulance got there the took him out of his chair very carefully and put him on a stretcher and C collar. And as I was telling the paramedics and police officer what happened ..... I felt as if I should just hold my arms out and have them cuff me right there. Yes officer, I left my 2 very young kids unattended in a vehicle. Thankfully he didn't cuff me, he tried to console me, and once they had Danny stabilized for the ride I flew in the back of the ambulance to head to the ER ~ where I got to retell the story over to all of them.
I FELT LIKE THE WORST MOTHER EVER!!
So this is what happened ~ well the best I can put together as AGAIN I wasn't there. UGH!!
Lil Miss "A" got Danny out of the van ...... took off his seat belt and chest belt, Unlocked the easy lock system (which locks his chair to the floor of the van), opened both the big side doors on the full size van, and lowered the lift. She then proceeded to roll him out on the ramp. Which would have been just fine BUT...... instead of lowering the ramp to the van floor level, she lower the ramp all the way to the ground level and then pushed him out the van doors. Once she realized what was happening, she held onto the chair as it was falling out of the van, and she went along for the ride. I truly believe if she wouldn't have done that, to help tip the chair alil on the side, and have her body take some the impact .... it WOULD have killed him. He fell face first from about a 3ft drop onto the ramp grate and concrete floor with his 75 lbs wheelchair ontop off him.
That's when I heard Avrianna's SCREAM!
Once at the ER all they could really do is CT scan his whole body (to find out what kind of injuries and where they were) and to monitor him. So that's what they did ~ Danny sustained a concussion, sprained arm, wrist, leg, ankle, some nasty cuts n bruises on his face and he spent a day in the hospital. We got very lucky things didn't turn out worse. I was pretty banged up from falling while I tried to run with flip flops. Avrianna had some bangs n bruises BUT the most damaging for her was the emotional side. I couldn't get her into that van for weeks after that :( And she refused to push Danny in his chair for a very long time.
She felt awful and was emotionally scarred :(
Well that's our story ~ the medical team afterwards joked that Danny had his first "regular" kid fall. I'm glad he was ok and that was the only "regular" kid accident thus far.
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