It was a long day and when at last I returned home the phone was ringing non stop in the kitchen of our condo in La Habra. A woman began by asking me if my son was allergic to any drugs. It evidently was a nurse from the Hoag Memorial Hospital Emergency Room. I immediately panicked. What on earth would someone need such information for? I asked just that but the woman was hesitant to tell me what exactly was going on. After I asked her several times, "WHY and WHAT for?", a doctor came on the line and identified himself. He told me that he had my little boy and his father there in the ER room. That there had been a car accident down on Pacific Coast Highway. As my tone of voice was obviously showing signs of stress, the doctor told me to calm down and focus...that he was doing all he could and that all would be fine. Just come on down to the hospital in Newport Beach as soon as possible.
Immediately I called my father and left several messages. Then I called Steve's parents to let them know what was going on. I started pacing and crying hysterically with fear. I was very tired as it was, and I had to drive 30 miles to a hospital that I did not know of. On the way to the hospital I got sick to my stomach on the floor of Steve's Torino. I was a mess!
When I finally found the hospital...I went directly to the emergency room where it was crowded with other people. Several guys were making lurid remarks to me as I was listening to Sean SCREAM in pain from the other side of the door. The nurses would not let me go to him right away and I was crying for him. I could not sit still...my nerves had never been so tested like this before. His screams were agonizing...and were killing me emotionally.
Finally someone gave me a little information. A doctor came out and told me he needed to run a head scan on Sean due to head trauma. I just about fainted. No one would let me see him with my own eyes. It was more than a mom could handle alone. Bit by bit I started to put things together:
Mike and Sean were travelling on Pacific Coast Highway at a speed of 70 miles per hour (the impact of the accident broke the speedometer at 70 mph) when Mike evidently passed out at the wheel after consuming several cans of Colt 45 beer on an empty stomach. Sean and Mike had spent the day at the beach with friends and were just on their way home the scenic route (Mike asked Sean which route he would like to take). To this day Sean wants to blame himself for the accident because he chose the route. The truck hit an Edison cement pole throwing Mike out of the driver's door on impact. Sean was trapped inside the passenger front seat as the truck wrapped itself around the pole at the passenger door. Sean had massive injuries...one of which severed his right arm down to 1/16th inch from the main artery. Mike had multiple mass injuries internally. Both victims were deliriously unconscious.
When I was allowed into the emergency room I was assaulted by verbal garbage coming from a resistant drug overdoser. The ER staff were understaffed just dealing with this idiot...who was the person the two jerks outside in the waiting room were there for. I had always had a BIG problem with the sight of blood and the first thing that I was aware of was walking THROUGH Sean's blood which was everywhere. When I first laid eyes on him I burst into tears...I could hardly recognize him. He was battered beyond recognition. I was so upset with the entire situation that I found myself in--that I did not even recognize Michael on the first bed when walking into that room. I stood by Sean for what seemed like hours before someone approached me. I wanted to know what Sean was up against. The doctor told me that Sean had massive head and body trauma. He had nearly lost his right arm which had been trapped by the door of the truck. His right leg had gone through the glove compartment. They expected his foot to be broken as well as the obvious compound fracture to the right arm (high up near the shoulder) The bone was fractured on such an angle that it tore into his chest.
The doctor told me that he had just finished setting the arm, but was scheduling a CT scan first thing. He looked at me and said "I cannot believe this boy is alive after what he went through. Then shortly after two paramedics from the fire department came up to check on Sean. They told me they had to use the "jaws of life" on Sean and it took 20 minutes of prying the door before they could get him out. They found the arm severed right down to the main artery, but not INTO it....a miracle in itself...and they called Sean their MIRACLE Boy. Then two police officers stepped up and told me how lucky Sean was to have come through such a horrible accident. They told me the 57 Chev Truck was unrecognizable. They urged me to press charges against Michael for drinking and driving. Something I could never do.
Sean had a rough first night in the hospital... almost choking on his own vomit... he slowly came thru things, but was extremely upset...worrying about his father who was in intensive care for 2 weeks. Sean came home beaten up after 8 days and couldn't walk for some time. He was a sad little guy. Michael...well...he never really got totally well. He ended up dying 1 1/2 years after the accident. His injuries were MASSIVE to lungs and heart...and he died of congenital heart failure at 31 years old. Just before he died, he called me. He told me he was in the hospital and it appeared that he had complications from the accident.... He begged me to take Sean into the doctors and have him checked out to make sure he is totally healed. His last thought was for Sean. He died the next day.
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