Deja Vu-story 7

Deja Vu

What is it like to have something unexpected happen twice in practically the same way? It was completely life changing for Jessica Ortis, former student of Anoka-Ramsey Community College, currently attending the University of Minnesota-Mankato, who experience her mother go through a horrific car accident, and nine-years later go through almost the same accident.

After going through her parents divorce, changing schools, getting used to a new home, and just adjusting to her new life in general, Ortis had the biggest scare of her life. One Saturday night, Ortis had asked her mom if she could stay at home, in Ogilvie, Minnesota, at her neighbors house because she was having more fun that she had had in quite some time. Her mother, Lisa Winterfield, had said that would be okay but she was still going to go along to Elk River with her boyfriend to attend Sunday morning church.

Sunday afternoon Ortis had a funny feeling about something, but she hadn’t known what. Her family hadn’t been home at the time Ortis had gotten there, and Winterfield was not answering her cell phone. The anticipation of knowing something was wrong had overwhelmed Ortis, and she could not sit still and couldn’t help but expect the worst.

 Later that day a family member had called Ortis to inform her that her mother had been in a terrible car accident and is now in the hospital. They told her everything they knew. Winterfield’s stomach had detached from her diaphragm and had cracked her pelvic bone in several places because of the seat belt. Recalling all the memories Ortis said, “I was incredibly scared.  I didn’t know what was going on other than what people were telling me, and they weren’t too sure at the time.  I didn’t know if my mom was dying or not, and I couldn’t lose my mom.  I wasn’t prepared for that.  My mom means everything to me.  So I was scared.  I didn’t know what to do.  I didn’t have a license, so I couldn’t go anywhere.  I had no one near by who could take me down to her.   It was one of the scariest moments of my life.”

Winterfield had been stopped at a four way stop when a van had veered into her, hitting the drivers side of the car. The impact had been so great Winterfield had blacked out causing her to put pressure on the gas pedal, driving into the ditch, hitting a telephone pole. Paramedics had to cut her from the car, and kept telling her she was extremely lucky to be alive.

After the accident and surgery Winterfield had to go through, she spent a week and a half in the hospital, and had to learn to walk again. Being a single mom, this was extremely hard on her. While struggling though, Ortis said she had touched her three children in an inspiring way.

Nine-years later, Tuesday, February 8, 2011, on her way to work, Ortis had a green light to make her right hand turn, while a man in a super duty pick-up truck had raced through his now red light. The next thing Ortis had realized was that she had just experienced what her mother had, nine-years ago. Ortis was taken away on a backboard due to neck pain. Luckily, Ortis only had minor muscle injuries that could be fixed with physical therapy and seeing a chiropractor.

“I was scared.  I have never been in a situation like that before.  The main impact of the truck was right on the front tire area and if the truck had hit just a little back further, I could have been hurt a lot worse.  It is scary to think what could have happened, but it makes one thankful that nothing really did,” added Ortis.

            Ortis suffered in many ways because of this accident. The pain caused her to be unable to work, and being a college student, this made a larger financial crisis. Her car had been totaled, so she had to find a way to get money to get another reliable car, and still pay her bills. She also started to struggle with school, and fall behind. For a week after the accident she was unable to go to her classes at all, then came all the physical therapy appointments and chiropractor appointments. She had to find time to heal, do school work, and go to her job. “This accident has exhausted me from doing all the normal tasks I have no problem with and I am ready for a break,” said Ortis. That is exactly what she will be getting with summer right around the corner, when she will be moving back home to attend Anoka-Ramsey Community College once again.