ASU Student in Crash Sinks Into Medical Expense Despair

 

Sarah Whiddon has no memory of the car crash that dramatically changed her life on Aug. 6 in Runnels County.

“It looked like blowout,” she was told by her boyfriend, Zac Coit, who witnessed the crash in his rearview mirror on F.M. 3115 at mile marker 337. But for nearly a month after the crash, the cause remained a mystery.

Now the ASU student has had to put her life on hold as she fights to recover from numerous incapacitating injuries sustained in the crash.

“It happened around noon,” Whiddon’s mother, Laurie Whiddon said. “She’s not sure what happened. She lost control, and knows that the truck flipped at least twice and then she was evidently unconscious. She was actually following her boyfriend…he came back to her because he saw her in his rearview mirror.”

When Coit rushed back to Whiddon’s Ranger, he immediately dialed 911 and an ambulance was sent to the crash site. Due to the location out in the county, it was nearly an hour before the medical team arrived, Whiddon said, and Sarah Whiddon was then immediately rushed to a local hospital, where she received treatment for the next several hours.

Once in the hospital, doctors determined that Whiddon’s lungs had been punctured, her pelvis was broken, she had a broken shoulder, a dislocated knee and several broken bones in her left leg, her mother said.

Due to the severity of the break in her pelvis, Whiddon had to be flown to Parkland Hospital in Dallas, where a team of doctors was better equipped to work on her injuries. Four units of blood had to be given to the teenager before she landed in Dallas, and because the helicopter was out for repair, she was put on an airplane to Parkland.

“She spent 15 days in Parkland between emergency room and ICU and then rehab,” Laurie Whiddon said. “She went through rehab the last week of her stay in the hospital…just learning how to do, with occupational therapy and physical therapy, learning how to get out of her bed and into a wheelchair, how to get out of the wheelchair and into a potty chair and into the bath with a bath bench.”

While in the hospital, news from the Texas Department of Public Safety arrived at Whiddon’s mother’s house: the crash investigation had been completed. As a result, Whiddon was ticketed for failure to stay in a single lane, a citation that costs $152 in Runnels County.

Efforts to obtain the crash report had been fruitless until recently, and when the family received the traffic ticket they responded with shock and disbelief. Up until then, they had still considered that the crash might have resulted from a blowout.

“It was an insult to her injuries,” Laurie Whiddon sighed. “I know you’re supposed to keep control of your vehicle at all times, but no one had contacted us and told us about the investigation in detail as to what happened. We still don’t know if it was a blowout.”

On Aug. 29, LIVE! was able to obtain a synopsis of the crash report, which describes Whiddon leaving the road on a turn, then jerking back to return to her lane, causing her to cross both lanes of traffic and enter a ditch, where she overcorrected again, rolling the vehicle. 

In the interim of uncertainty, Whiddon and her family sought to plead ‘not guilty’ for the traffic offense, but were promptly told it would not be an option, as a not guilty plea requires one to show up for court, which is currently not possible given Whiddon’s physical condition.

Whiddon has received an extension on the ticket, and the family hopes to pursue deferred adjudication.

"Everything just comes at once," Laurie Whiddon said.

On Aug. 21, Whiddon was discharged from Parkland Hospital and returned to her mother’s house in Fort Worth. “It took 45 minutes to get home from the hospital on the 21st and she was in tears by the time we got home, just the bumps in the road hurt so badly,” her mother explained.

Back at home, Whiddon’s life has been put on hold. Relegated to a wheelchair and reliant on the help of her mother and family, she is unable to work and will have to take a break from her studies at ASU, likely for two semesters.

“She has to depend on people,” her mother explained. “She can’t just get up and go to the bathroom herself, we have to help her. She can’t shower by herself. She really can’t do anything by herself. I guess, same here. I have to make sure I’m here or someone is here to help her every minute if she needs something.”

In three to four months, Whiddon will have to have a complete knee reconstruction. Currently, she’s doing therapy at home for her broken leg, and waiting for her injuries to heal so that she can once again undergo surgery.

“Three of her ligaments are messed up in her left knee,” Laurie Whiddon said. “They’re waiting for a bone to heal that broke because that’s where the ligaments attach to. So they said probably in about three to four months they’ll be able to do a complete knee reconstruction.”

Unable to work, the medical bills are mounting for the former Texas Roadhouse waitress and her parents, who are helping her through the recovery. At least another year of therapy, surgeries, x-rays and follow-ups is to come as her bones heal and she becomes more self-sufficient.

So far, the family hasn’t received many of the invoices for medical expenses, however the cost of the flight alone was enough to stress the young student and her family to the point of despair.

“I’m overwhelmed,” Laurie Whiddon said. “We got our first bill in and that’s just from the air flight from San Angelo to [Dallas] and it was $47,000.  Sarah doesn’t have insurance. She’s 19. She was on Medicaid and she tried to apply for Obamacare and she was denied because she didn’t make enough money. At that point we called to find out what we could do about not having insurance or Medicaid and they said, ‘well, you just don’t have to pay a penalty for not having insurance’. So that’s where we are. We have no insurance, we have no—nothing. And in the hospital in Dallas, because we’re not a Dallas resident, we have no funding available for us.”

In order to help raise funds to support Sarah, her uncle, Ray Whiddon, set up a fundme account titled “Sarah is Strong”. So far, 21 supporters have raised some $710, however the sum falls greatly short of what the family will need to make a dent in the expenses.

“Anything and everything will help, nothing is to small....please help…” Ray Whiddon posted in the comments section of the site on Aug. 8. Since then, family members have posted two updates on her condition and continue to seek support and prayers.

Thursday, Whiddon went to her most recent follow-up and had her stitches removed, her mother said. Over the next several months she’ll have to pay the doctor a monthly visit to have x-rays done to make sure everything’s healing correctly.

To contribute to Sarah's recovery, follow the link here.

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This article is thorough and brings out the harsh reality of choices and impact. Although I and most others are sensitive to those in pain it doesn't eliminate an individual's responsibility for their choices. Possibly this article will wake up others to make better choices. Item one... No personal insurance ( blame obama care?). Maybe blame self. Parents chose to not ensure college student? I pay for mine....why shouldn't others pay for theirs? What caused her to leave the road? There is innuendo of a blown tire ( blame others). But no evidence in any report. It appears visa vie the police report she left the road by overshooting a curve ( excessive speed?, distraction?, failure to maintenance vehicle with tire care?). Some folks get dealt a bad hand such as cancer or uncontrollable event...they deserve our empathy. But my 2cents, although harsh and not PC in today's culture of "who takes care of me?" Is take personal responsibility for your choices...you made them.
Slate, Mon, 09/01/2014 - 11:14
Ah good ol Merican health care. Can't spend a few billion to cover the health of our own citizens but we can donate it to jews and blow up arabs with it.
Obamacare offers tax credits for private health plans sold through the law's health insurance exchange marketplaces. But those subsidies are available only to those making between the poverty level, or about $11,500 for an individual, and four times that amount. In states not expanding Medicaid, people who earn less than poverty wages get nothing.
That nobody understands health insurance. The only reason to access Obamacare is if you qualify for a subsidy. Otherwise there have been healthcare exchanges on the internet where you could go and shop for a policy for many years, and get a quote in seconds (not the hours it took last time I unsuccessfully tried to shop on the government's POS website). A 19-year old can get a policy in San Angelo for as little as $83.84/month (I bet she cleared that in tips on a good night), and all her expenses would have been covered except the $6,000 deductible. Buy $10K of Medical Payments coverage on your auto insurance for a few $'s and it covers the deductible. She gambled and lost big, but I'm sure this ends with a bankruptcy filing and her unpaid expenses being added to the premium of the rest of our policies in the future.
bebop, Mon, 09/01/2014 - 18:48
I'm so sorry for this girl's devastating injuries. However... another person wandering through life, expecting others to take care of accidents, errors, and illness. Why isn't she on her parents' policy? Are we just to amble or drive around without protection? Well, luckily, the high medical bills and increased insurance premiums the rest of us pay will take care of the hundreds of thousands this will require. I do believe an investigation determines fault, discovers blowouts, etc. I'm sorry they are so insulted by the issuance of a ticket. I'm so sorry life is being so mean to this young lady. Big lesson. One that costs all of us.
bebop, Mon, 09/01/2014 - 19:25
Perhaps she can work online at home or those who brought her into the world can take extra work, instead of holding out a tin cup. An asteroid didn't land on her. It's up to the family to rally, here.
I must state that I am APPALLED at the comments related to this article. You don't know ANYTHING about this family, other than the article that was written but, they are personal friends of mine. You have NO idea what type of insurance the parents have, if any, and there are still questions as to how the wreck happened. Yes, evidence may show that she left the road, but there's no evidence as to really prove what got her there! Have you, or someone you know, never been in a situation that can't be explained? Have you, or someone you know, never been in an accident, in the middle of nowhere, and have no recollection of what took place? Even if you haven't, open your mind a little, but if you can't, leave your judgments and misconceptions to yourself! This family has enough to worry about and they certainly don't need your rude comments added to that! My gosh! They're looking for help, just like millions of people in this world do. I hope that none of you ever need it!
bebop, Wed, 09/03/2014 - 00:49
Hey, Dianna, guess what? I've never in my life been uninsured. I don't put MY needs out for others to cover. She's 19. Her parents gave her life, but they don't insure her, they figure the rest of the world or WELFARE will take care of their child? ENough. A few dollars a month in insurance, and she'd be responsible for a very small amount and all the other hundreds of thousands would be covered. No worries. THIS IS WHY WE HAVE INSURANCE AND SHOULD HAVE IT. Also, FYI, this little girl doesn't NEED to remember "what happened." THere are experts with careers in determining what happened in accidents, darling. They know what they are doing, they can tell if there was a blowout, or NOT, they can read tire track, evaluate dents, paint, DIRT, gravel and allllllllllllllll kinds of things that paint the story of what happened. So she doesn't need to "recollect" what happened. That can be determined by people trained and with years and years and YEARS of experience. I'm quite familiar with that industry. So, you can bleed your heart for this little girl all you want, but have you considered there is a reason people are REQUIRED TO HAVE INSURANCE? Health, and car? THank GOD she didn't hit a busful of innocent Christian schoolchildren, or you all would be having hysterics -- in a different way. I've actually seen a tragic accident happen just a few car lengths ahead of me on a highway a few years ago. Some idiot went across several highway lanes, and knocked a van into a ditch, killing about 9 people, BOOM. Are we going to pay the driver of that vehicle? This girl is no less responsible, even if no one died. She is responsible for the driving and wrecking of her car, and for the repair of her damaged body. It IS a tragedy. Give all you want to her. And remember, she will laugh at you for being her enabler. She'll get well, continue to not have insurance, your rates will go up and you'll be happy about that? Dollar down, dollar a week. That pays one's debts. I hope she recovers fully and quickly. And BUYS INSURANCE,
bebop, Wed, 09/03/2014 - 00:51
Insurance -- available, if you care to be responsible, and can free up some Starbucks and manicure dollars to protect yourself in the future. This girl didn't bother. And this doesn't BOTHER others? It should.
jdgt, Wed, 09/03/2014 - 08:32
Insurance is not as easy to acquire as everyone would like to think it is. We don't know this family's financial situation, nor are we entitled to it. I was covered via the military for many years. When I decided to separate, my family of 5 relocated to TX. We were in between jobs, and after 6 months post-military, I lost my insurance coverage. We had too much money in the bank and too many assets to qualify for something like CHIP for the kids. When my husband finally did get a job, he didn't make enough to cover the bills AND sign up for insurance - so we had to gamble until we both found jobs that covered our entire family (AND the bills!) Sorry - not trying to make this about me... just trying to show that there are a LOT of different scenarios besides laziness or lack of responsibility that leads to a situation like this. Thank GOD that nothing major happened while we were uninsured. Obviously, not everyone is so fortunate. Who are we to judge? If you don't want to help them... walk away. But don't continue to publicly humiliate them.
Once again, Nina relates the story to herself. She's an "expert" in the field of forensic tire-track determination and of course she's seen a horrific accident right in front of her. The "BOOM" sound effect of watching 9 people die shows a lot of class, as well. Just once I'd like to see her say, "Terrible accident, I hope she's going to be OK"
I swear if you're not "oh woe is me, I've experienced tragedy" you're on the opposite "i'm the most upstanding person there is". You give us all whiplash !! I've never commented as I've wanted to so many times, but I guess this one was the proverbial straw. You paint the picture you're this hard working, fully insured, law abiding, never do wrong, pillar of the community citizen, but I picture you as stay at home, medically retired or disability case with nothing better to do than troll online all day for stories you can insert your "oh I've been here before, I've had this happen to me, my best friends, second cousin, twice removed told me" etc etc etc. Don't you get tired of everyone telling you how foolish you seem to people here? I've read over & over the comments to you about your insights on things and If I were you, I'd be embarrased to continue on commenting, however, I guess you need something to do between reruns of Oprah and Dr. Phil. Not everyone has access to health insurance as easily as you like to state they do. I'd be real curious to know what kind you have & if you even pay for it. Everyone has and is entitled to their own opinion, but how about you take a rest & climb down off your high horse for awhile, I'm sure he could use a breather.
jdgt, Wed, 09/03/2014 - 13:08
Jo, I'd hug you if you were in front of me. That was a GREAT reply to Nina's nonsense.
I am a stay at home, medically retired or disability case.There are many of us and we do not act like Nina!
bebop, Wed, 09/03/2014 - 16:02
I do actually have a connection to the insurance industry, specifically liability investigation and attribution, so yep, I know of what I speak. But let's all believe the 19 year old who doesn't remember anything. Pay her medical bills, if you like. :) But when you meander through life without being insured, it WILL bite you.
bebop, Wed, 09/03/2014 - 16:05
I agree it is pricey for a family, however, when you have children, you do establish, one hopes -- a budget that includes educating them, keeping them healthy, and insuring them against the inevitable. A single person can easily get insurance, yes they can, yes, they CAN, if they are responsible and willing to give up a few bucks a month to be a responsible member of society. If her family couldn't do it, she could certainly have done it by herself. And should. But if you enjoy higher premiums, that's your deal. Personally, I don't.
JD - thank ya ! (man we didn't even get a rebuttal though- kinda like a perfect tennis lob that just falls flat in the oppositions court - what a let down lol) and to ConchoPearl - I apologize, I didn't mean to offend. The fact that as you say, "we don't act like nina"- is exactly why you are NOTHING like nina and so my description of her doesn't fit for you. There are many, many great people who are on disability, medically retired & just stay at home folks that can hold intelligent converstations all day long - unfortunately she is just not one of them :)

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