# Brother in Serious Auto Collision



## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

My brother is one of those drivers who tail gates, no one is ever going fast enough for him and doesn't wear a seat belt.

Yesterday, on his way home from work, in the "middle of nowhere", he ran a red light and was t-boned by a woman and her 5 month old baby.

HE RAN A RED LIGHT.

He is currently in the hospital with a skull fracture and broken neck. Since yesterday afternoon, he's had 4 CAT scans, he's in traction on morphine and floats incoherently in and out of conscientiousness.

He is a father of two teens and husband of a woman who was hit head on by a drunk driver New Years Eve 2008. She was lucky and walked away with a broken foot, the drunk driver died.

My brother also owns the family business in Ottawa. My entire family, with the exception of myself, relies on him for their income. He may spend time in jail, he may have a brain injury, he may be disabled for the rest of his life.

Why am I sharing this with friends and strangers on this forum? Because it could happen to you. For 43 years -- he'll be 44 on November 8th -- he has been a bad driver. Yesterday was pay day for karma. 

Although we're aren't particularly close, he's affected everyone I love. Despite the distance between us, I love him too. We grew up together and shared many, many years. My Mom, Dad, sister, nieces and nephews, uncles and aunts, not to mention friends, are all affected by his careless, arrogant actions. I have shed tears today, I've been rendered useless to my employer. Not to mention his friends.

Slow down, use your signals, don't run red or even yellow lights, don't tail gate, think of all the people you could affect by your careless actions.


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## twoheadedfish (May 10, 2008)

Thanks for posting Tab. It's a terrible story and I'm sorry for you. Hopefully he'll recover. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say our thoughts are with you and your family. stiff upper lip


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## jewel-stavroula (Jan 11, 2008)

I am sorry to hear about what happened, thank you for sharing something so personal. I think that you did some good as it definitely got me thinking about my own careless habits. I wish the best for you, your family and of course, your brother.


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

my best wishes to those affected.


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## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

thanks for sharing tabatha, I hope you and your family can get through this, I do wish him a speedy and complete recovery with no loss regardless of what he's done because no one deserves those types of complications IMO 

how was the women with the baby? (if you know)


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## UnderTheSea (Jun 2, 2008)

ahh Sorry to hear Tab. I hope everything turns out for the best for you and your family.

To share another accident story, my brother 4 years ago (18 yrs old) was taking himself and a team mate to their AAA hockey game in Muskoka. They never made it to the game as a driver heading southbound was too busy with his shotgun chasing down a deer and crossed the centre line with his pickup hitting them head on. His passenger never made it and my brother spent many weeks (maybe months, it was kind of a blur) in St Mike's. He survived but is not the same.

I hope everything turns out alright with all in the accident Tabatha. Our thoughts are with you.

Chris


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

ran a red... oosh, I see that so often myself. So often I see people oblivious to anyone else, talking away on their cells, not bothering to signal, not bothering to look. Its a shame, but these days so few care about anything except themselves. It is a selfish, selfish world we live in.

I tend to observe human activity, I know that I, myself am not free of flaws. If you watch people, you will see this blurr of selfishness will only increase within the next two months, and the roads will become extremely dangerous. It is most important to watch what you are doing, as well as be aware of what everyone else is doing. 

I do hope he recovers and learns an important lesson from this all. I do hope the lives that have been affected can return to normal. I do hope the woman and her child are okay. This is a horrible thing to have happened tabitha, I am sorry to hear it. 

Also to add to your list of things to do. turn down the radio, and focus on the road.


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## desjardo (Aug 30, 2008)

Thanks for sharing..I'm sure many of us can relate and can use a reminder of how quickly life can change.


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

You should see it from a motorcycle. Had a woman in a BMW SUV play games with lane position (decided to drive in both lanes) and passing me in my lane....she figured it was fine to put me in danger cause she could smile and blow kisses....guess where I wanted to shove those kisses and teeth.


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## Ciddian (Mar 15, 2006)

HOly crap tabatha.. Thank you for sharing. Thats gotta be a definate wake up call for him.


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

I'm sorry to hear this Tabatha. Regardless of outcome and whose fault it is, it is something no one wants to hear about.

I find driving in GTA area far more difficult than before, like many years ago. I really feel people who are ignorant and clueless do get educated properly and make the roads more safe for everyone. 

Bring back cameras to catch speeders.

Put red light cameras on all intersections.

Educate cops so that they do their job properly. Too many offenders are getting away with repeated offences daily. Lazy cops just put up speed traps where convenient and they think they are doing the job.

There are so many things they can do to make road safer.


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

These past few days, 4 to be exact, have felt like a life time. I decided to stay home from work Friday as I was so distracted, I was useless at work and didn't want to bring down my colleagues.

My sister phoned in hysterics at around 7 a.m., I started to cry and repeated, "What happened Julie? What happened???" In sobs and tears she informed me my brother was paralyzed. They put him in a halo the night before -- without going into detail, the screws are tightened into the skull.

Later that day my sister phoned me from the hospital, he now had a dedicated nurse and meet with a specialist. Unfortunately his neck wasn't straightening and they had to add 5lbs to a pulley that would pull his neck into place. When that didn't work, they had to put him in a halo/vest combo.

I also found out that he broke C2 as well as his odonoid which attaches your head to your spine. http://www.emedicine.com/orthoped/TOPIC597.HTM

I have no idea what type of break he has with either bones, there are a few scenarios possible. Educating myself helps ease my fears but the information I get from my sister and mother is broken at best. I'm sure they only absorb 50% of what the doctor tells them and they translate 1/4 of that to me.

Yesterday was tenuous, his blood pressure is extremely low as were his oxygen levels. When they were putting on his halo they had to get out the crash cart.

Today he was taken off oxygen. remarkably, he can move his arms and legs -- again, the mixed messages I get from my family are confusing at best. Apparently, according to my Mom, they tried to sit him up in bed today but something shifted in his neck and the pain was too much for him. NOTHING is supposed to move with the halo on!!! It was incredibly dangerous that that happened, full paralysis or even death is possible with this type of fracture. They tightened his halo and knocked him out again.

According to police investigations, he was traveling at 120 km per hour in a 60 zone! The oncoming truck was going 60. Tim doesn't remember ANYTHING from that day, he doesn't remember having coffee in the morning, going to work or where he was going when the collision happened. It's a shame because I was hoping that he would learn a lesson from this. The fines will be astronomical; 50 km over the limit = street racing = $10,000.00 fine. Endangering lives, no seat belt... points, not to mention his insurance rates will sky rocket if he gets to keep his license.

The varied reactions of my family has been interesting. My husband is furious with him, putting his family in such a tragic position with his carelessness. My sister-in-law is also mad at him. His son goes to the hospital every day but won't see him. His daughter is emotional and frightened, my mother is supportive and strong.

Me? I want to take care of everything and everyone. I have a medical curiosity, I want to understand the injuries he's sustained and the after effects and care he'll require. I'm also emotional, worried, upset.


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## Mr Fishies (Sep 21, 2007)

When people we love do disappointing things it's difficult to cope with it when they are hurt or "get caught for it". I feel for you and your brother's family. I hope the sharing has some therapeutic benefit for you - we can all learn from it.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Wow, C2 and odontal process fracture? He's VERY VERY lucky to be alive.

Your head is held up by C1 and C2 also called the axis and atlas bones. C2 has the odontal process which projects upward (process in anatomy means a protrusion or point). In some spinal cord injuries, the Odontal process can be forced upward into the brain stem, killing the person. Your brother is very very very lucky.

Also, I believe the type of fracture he has is a hangman's fracture? I believe (if my anatomy classes haven't escaped me), that it's particularly dangerous as the fracture can be stable EXCEPT at a particular point, which if moved, can cause a shift in the fracture structure, causing bone to break, severing the spinal cord (in some severe cases) killing the person instantaneously.
Again, I have to say that your brother should be counting his blessings, and that his is extremely lucky to have survived. I'm sure now that he's stabilized, he's in good hands. It's very encouraging to her that he has movement of his extremities. I'm sure at this point the prognosis is fairly positive (health wise). I'm sure he'll need physical therapy, but it seems like his life is not in grave danger.

I'm sure it's very very hard for your family, and I hope everyone pulls through for the better. The feelings and way everyone experiences things is different, but hopefully your whole family can come through this having learned something. 

My thoughts go out to you and your family.


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## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> Wow, C2 and odontal process fracture? He's VERY VERY lucky to be alive.
> 
> Your head is held up by C1 and C2 also called the axis and atlas bones. C2 has the odontal process which projects upward (process in anatomy means a protrusion or point). In some spinal cord injuries, the Odontal process can be forced upward into the brain stem, killing the person. Your brother is very very very lucky.


I was going to respond the exact same thing...I just read tabatha's post and was wondering if anyone else thought the same, scroll down and you beat me to it

Yeah as ameekplec says he's just lucky to be alive... lucky to move anything.

if you need medical stuff answered, feel free to ask me tabatha - just send a msg if you like


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

He was in a regular collar from the ambulance the day of the accident and most of the next. On the second day, they put him in a different collar and it wasn't until the evening of the second day that they put on the first halo. Knowing this now, it really amazes me that he doesn't have any paralysis!!

Further, knowing that there was a shift when they attempted to sit him up yesterday, again without any paralysis, is amazing. It's also terrifying that the intern and staff weren't aware that the halo wasn't tight enough.

As Jim and Eric know, at any point, a pinch on his spinal cord would be devastating not to mention life altering. My family doesn't know what kind of fracture he has but I agree with Eric, C2 hangman with a type II odontoid fracture.


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

My sister just sent me photos of my brother's truck.














































I really expected the truck to be worse. I think the 5" gash above his right eye must've been caused by the rear view mirror. Remember, he wasn't wearing a seat belt.​


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## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

Ya tabatha, trucks are hard to destroy, that amount of damage is actually equal to a car being squashed nearly in half.
I'd hate to think what happened to the car to have caused that much damage


A gash in his forhead is the least of his worries


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

hojimoe said:


> Ya tabatha, trucks are hard to destroy, that amount of damage is actually equal to a car being squashed nearly in half.
> I'd hate to think what happened to the car to have caused that much damage


It was another truck that hit him but what kind, I don't know.



hojimoe said:


> A gash in his forhead is the least of his worries


Yeah, I know, we were just wondering what caused it since is was on the right side of his head, not the left where he was hit.

He asked my sister and Mother for a mirror yesterday.  No news yet today, my sister is supposed to call me around noon.


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## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

Tabatha said:


> It was another truck that hit him but what kind, I don't know.
> 
> Yeah, I know, we were just wondering what caused it since is was on the right side of his head, not the left where he was hit.
> 
> He asked my sister and Mother for a mirror yesterday.  No news yet today, my sister is supposed to call me around noon.


wow, if it was another truck...damn I would have expected more then - of course depending what kind/age/etc...

I agree the gash would probably be from the rear view mirror though... would only make sense, though he should have also gathered one from the top door frame on his left side - unless if that truck has side air bags?


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

He wasn't wearing a seatbelt either?

Wow, he really is lucky to be alive. People have been in lesser accidents, not speeding, not running red lights, wearing their seat belts and still died.

I he really takes this experience to heart and changes his ways. he certainly has been blessed with a second chance that few in his position probably get.


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## Tabatha (Dec 29, 2007)

Just spoke to my Mom, apparently they had my brother actually sitting in a chair today but he doesn't remember! Eric & Jim -- what's the short term memory loss about? Is there a link with info?

Mom also noted that his right shoulder is severely bruised, it seems, she says, rather sudden -- she didn't notice it before.

He is out of intensive care?! And apparently supposed to start physio tomorrow. Seems rather quick to me... Cripes, it hasen't even been a week since the accident. CRAZY!


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## wtac (Mar 17, 2006)

CRAAAAAZY indeed. Wishing you and the fam all the very best through this tough incident


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Physio is more effective right after brain injuries, rather than starting it weeks later.

The amnesia your brother is suffering is probably post-traumatic amnesia. It usually occurs after some kind of injury to the brain, and the severity is usually correlated with the degree of injury, but not always (looks like all that Neuroscience I did in undergrad is useful somewhere).

It should get better with each passing day.

It's very encouraging t hear that he's started physio. I hope his mind is started to change too.

I'm happy for your brother and your family, and I hope you all weather this event well.


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## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

yeah physio is best to be done as soon as possible, obviously depending on injuries and if the person is awake. 

Did your brother not break anything else? long bones etc? if not he's lucky for that too

as eric said, the short term has a lot to do with the recent injury to the brain, hopefully he comes back withing a few weeks (slowly but surely) and you will notice a difference soon we hope!


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## conix67 (Jul 27, 2008)

My parents were in a similar accident before, they were hit by a cargo van (not mini van) running a red light at an intersection (Ashtonbee and Warden in Scarborough). Looking at the picture, the impact must have been no worse in my dad's case considering the damage done to the vehicle. He was sitting in the passenger seat and my mom was driving, and the van hit right on the passenger door. Their car was '82 Pontiac Bonneville, it flew up in the air on impact, and landed on the other side of intersection, but it did not flip over.

Both my parents were wearing seat belt, and my dad was extremely lucky that he didn't suffer any serious injuries that day. I believe the car being old american model, its strong body frames and thick doors helped quite a bit.

However, my Dad ended up attending physio therapy on regular basis for several years to heal completely.

I'm sure the seatbelt was a big factor in your brother's case, and that if he gets well enough to drive again, he'll probably remember to use.

Anyway, I wish the best for your brother and your family.


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Hey Tabathia havent been on as of late just read your post, my thoughts and prayers are with you. My friend just had a wipeout on his bike from somebodys dog running out in front of him serious brain injuries. He is recovering now but its going to be a long haul.Hope your brother geta a new lease on life. Pat


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## XbrandonX (Nov 22, 2007)

Hey Tab, 
I posted on your forum but didn't see you posted here too.
My thoughts and hugs go out to you and your family. 
Hope all's well considering.


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