On Sunday, October 14th,
2012, at 1:30 pm, Mary Anne Snedden, 54, was driving down Brown Avenue in
Turtle Creek, PA on her way to Walmart when a woman ran a red light on Tri Boro
Avenue and broadsided Mary Anne’s car on the driver’s side. The force of the
impact pushed Mary Anne’s car into oncoming traffic and she collided with two
other cars. One car was pushed onto the sidewalk on the other side of the road.
Mary Anne was the only one in the multi-vehicle accident to suffer major
injuries. She was wearing her seat belt.The paramedics had to use the Jaws of Life to remove Mary Anne from
her vehicle.
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| This picture shows how the Jaws of Life are used to open a vehicle |
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| This is a Google Earth image of the intersection where the accident occurred |
Mary Anne was taken to the trauma unit of
Presbyterian University Hospital. She suffered multiple injuries to her pelvis
- two breaks and three fractures, as well as a rib fracture. This type of
injury is extremely serious and potentially fatal as the pelvis houses many
important internal organs and if broken can cause severe internal bleeding. The
following morning she was taken to surgery and a bar external to her body was
screwed into her hips to stabilize her pelvis while it healed.
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| Mary Anne demonstrates how the stabilization bar was screwed into her hip bones to keep her pelvis in place |
After spending ten days in the hospital
Mary Anne was transferred to LGAR (Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic), a
nursing home, until she was able to care for herself again. During this time
she was not allowed to put any weight on her pelvic area. She had to sit at a
60° angle in a wheelchair. The stabilizing bar was removed after six weeks. She
had to wait another two weeks before she was allowed to try to walk. Her first
attempts at standing and walking exceeded everyone’s expectations. After only a
few days with a walker she was able to walk with minimal assistance, and was
released from the nursing home after spending a total of 58 days there.
She arrived home a few days before
Christmas, two months earlier than anticipated. No adaptive equipment was necessary
in her home. Even though her recovery to date has been remarkable, she still
has a long way to go. She suffers with daily pain and is unable to return to
her former job. Mary Anne and husband Terry, 58, feel family support and
religious faith got them through. “I believe this experience has brought my wife and I closer together,” Terry said. Mary Anne and Terry have two children,
Dan, 28, and Carissa, 22.
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| Mary Anne and husband Terry stand tall seven months after the life-changing accident |
Mary Anne Tells Story of Her Near-Fatal Car Crash
Mary Anne Talks About Her Nursing Home Experience
Mary Anne Talks About Her Recovery and What Got Her Through
Mary Anne's Husband Terry Tells How The Accident Affected Him
