A teenage girl miraculously survived a car accident that almost left her paralyzed.
Aleah Orr, a 16-year-old from Rigby, Idaho, was headed to Mike Walker Pier to go fishing on May 12, her mother’s birthday and Mother’s Day, when she collided with a railing.
“He missed his turn and his (GPS) maps went down and he said he missed his turn and he looked at his maps,” his mother Sarah said. Eastern Idaho News.
“The next thing he knew, he hit the guardrail, and the speed limit is 55, so it’s high speed, and (he flipped his car) about 50 feet away… he landed feet from the river.”
If it hadn’t been for the way her seat was positioned during the accident, Aleah could have been paralyzed.
Aleah Orr, a 16-year-old from Rigby, Idaho, was headed to the Mike Walker Pier to go fishing when the accident occurred.
“He missed his turn and his (GPS) maps went down and he said he missed his turn and looked at his maps,” his mother told East Idaho News.
The impact pushed Aleah’s seat, leaving her leaning slightly to the right. Her pressed against her back seat, her neck and her head pressed against the back of her back seat. She was pinned down by a piece of the car with her seat belt still fastened while the detached headrest lay next to her.
‘She couldn’t get out. She said that was the scariest part,” Sarah mentioned. She “was screaming for help and trying to get up, but she couldn’t do it.”
A couple driving behind Sarah noticed the cloud of dust on the other side of the railing. They stopped, discovered Aleah’s car in the ravine and immediately called 911.
Sarah, whose emergency contact Aleah, first received news of the accident through a notification on her phone.
His mother, a firefighter and paramedic, called several times and received no answer. That’s when she got into her car, called 911 and drove to the dock.
“(Dispatch) said there was a report of an accident,” Sarah recalled. ‘My first question was: was it one car or two? And my second question was, is she in the river? They verified that she was not.
A woman at the scene called her mother and assured her that Aleah was awake and able to communicate.
The calm demeanor of the woman’s voice made the incident seem not so serious, Sarah said. When she saw the reality of the situation, she couldn’t believe that her daughter was alive.
“She was very calm, so that made me think it’s okay, it’s not that bad, but when I got there and saw the state of the car, my heart skipped a beat,” he said. “I’ve seen fewer accidents that cause more damage or take more lives.”
The fire department pulled Aleah from the rubble while holding her spine, a maneuver that keeps that head still in the rescue process that prevents damage to the spinal cord.
Had it not been for her seating position during the accident, Aleah could have been paralyzed.
A couple driving behind Sarah noticed the cloud of dust on the other side of the railing. They stopped, discovered Aleah’s car in the ravine and immediately called 911.
“I think being trapped in the car was a blessing because of the injury I had,” Sarah said. “If she had gotten up, she could have caused more damage or ultimately been paralyzed, at worst.”
The accident left her with several injuries, including a broken neck, a damaged left vertebral artery, a lung contusion, head lacerations and a broken left hand. She was rushed to a nearby hospital before being flown to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake to undergo surgery with a specialist.
Sarah said: ‘Anything to do with the cervix, the higher up the rupture, the worse possible outcomes of (being) quadriplegic, unable to breathe, being on a ventilator for the rest of your life, something like that.
“With the initial images, the doctor said, ‘You’re very lucky.’ (There are) maybe some bruises on your spinal cord and that’s why your limbs are weak right now.”
The surgery saved Aleah’s ability to walk by realigning her vertebral artery. Four vertebrae in her neck were fused together with pins, stabilizing her spine. Amazingly, she walked just two days later and was released from the hospital on Friday.
In addition to Aleah’s injury, she and her family have overcome several obstacles.
The last year and a half has been a whirlwind of loss for the Orr family. Sarah’s husband passed away, followed by the deaths of her husband’s best friend (practically an uncle to her children) and a beloved nephew.
Aleah said she believes all the loved ones she lost were there to protect her during the accident.
“Aleah says her cousin took the wheel and said, ‘Wait, cousin,’ and her father wrapped her in his wings and kept her safe,” Sarah mentioned. “She said that she said a prayer before anyone arrived and that after she finished praying, she knew everything would be okay.”
He suffered multiple injuries. including a broken neck at C-4 and C-5, a damaged left vertebral artery, a lung contusion, head lacerations, and a broken left hand
The surgery saved Aleah’s ability to walk by realigning her vertebral artery. Four vertebrae in her neck were fused with pins, stabilizing her spine.
Amazingly, Aleah walked just two days later and was released from the hospital on Friday.
Sarah said she is incredibly grateful for the outpouring of love and support from her community during these difficult times.
“It’s amazing how much support you really have when things go wrong and I appreciate that,” he said.
TO GoFundMe has been created to help cover Aleah’s medical costs.