My daughter has head trauma from riding on trunk of car.
By Thoroughrob
@Thoroughrob (11742)
United States
December 22, 2006 9:31am CST
My daughter when she was 15, now 23, had head trauma from riding on trunk of a car and falling off.
She had gone to bowling alley to meet friends. We dropped her off and a friends parents was to bring her home. She didn't stay inside. They went to the parking lot and some other idiot child was taking kids rides on the trunk of her car. My daughter took her turn, she should have known better, and fell off as the girl went in a circle.
She hit her head in a pot hole in the parking lot. She kept telling the girls she wanted to go home. They put her in the car, but they couldn't get her turned around so they could get the door shut. She was not bleeding, so they thought she was going to be ok. At this point, she was throwing up and was talking off the wall. Some lady, happens she was a nurse, stopped to see what was going on. Demanded they go in and call ambulance and could see my daughter was in big trouble.
The police station called me and told me to meet the ambulance at the emergency room but that it wasn't too serious. We went and they brought her in, and decided that she needed to be lifeflighted to a bigger hospital. I'm glad it wasn't serious!!! They had to paralyze her to get her there, she looked like she was already dead.
We get to where they lifeflighted her to and get to talk to the Dr.. He tells us that they are not sure what damage has been done because her brain had been bleeding and swelling. She may never walk or talk again, she may be a vegetable!! Glad it wasn't serious, I'd hate to see what would have been.
She spent 30 days in the hospital and rehab. Everything is fine except she gets headaches all the time and her thinking is messed up. She is more impulsive and judgement is not right. Se is still thinking like a 12 or 13 yr. old. Her IQ is way up, but common sense and short term memory is not right.
They laughed at her in therapy when they asked her what she wanted to do for a career when she was old enough. Told us that she would change her mind. Her answer was a bartender. That is what she is doing today.
9 people like this
23 responses
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
22 Dec 06
I hope your story sinks in with some teens. They tend to think that riding on car hoods and trunks is funny, but don't realize the real danger. I have 3 teens and have seen their friends and them do the same. I have even done it myself, not thinking. But to be honest, now that I've read your story I will think twice and realize the potential danger here!!!! Thank you for sharing!
5 people like this
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
22 Dec 06
While she was in ICU, another boy came in and wasn't so lucky. He was surfing on the hood of a car. The car hit a bump and he fell off. The car ran over him. He made it to the hospital but they could not save him. They were going pretty fast, and racing with another car. I cannot imagine how those other kids felt, knowing they took another kids life being stupid.
4 people like this
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
24 Dec 06
That would be horrible to kill someone just goofing around.
I know I won't ride on the hood or trunk of a car for sure now. Not that I probably ever would have by this age. But my stupid stunts apparently started when I was 2 or 3, when I dislocated my jaw by falling out of a bucket onto the fireplace. And now I have horrible TMJ. And ever since that, I just couldn't help myself from doing things like that.
1 person likes this
@cowgirl2701 (2079)
• United States
22 Dec 06
Head injuries are very serious. My daughters were in a car accident and my youngest had a head injury. She also has impaired judgement. Her memeroy has never been the same. She is doing alright now. She has a good job and a daughter with another daughter due in March. She works real hard to make the right desicions. She is a fantastic mother.
5 people like this
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
22 Dec 06
My daughter has a son now. I hope it helps her start making the right decisions. We are always trying to help. He is 2 mths. old now. So far she is doing ok. It is just hard, when she is not living with me, to steer her in the right direction.
4 people like this
@visitorinvasion (7709)
• United States
23 Dec 06
Good for her. Bartenders make good money and a LOT of friends. I am grateful your daughter pulled through, and am very sorry they thought it was theraputic to laugh at her choice of career.
I hope you and your daughter have the best Christmas ever.
@fsustriker (826)
• United States
23 Dec 06
I'm am sorry to hear that. Kids are doing way to many crazy things nowdays. They have to think more carefully, and not just do all these dangerous things.
2 people like this
@cute_missmary (3866)
• United States
22 Dec 06
good topic for discussion to start
2 people like this
@mytwo_daughters (2663)
• United States
27 Dec 06
OH MY GOD!!! I would have killed those teens! What you must have gone through! my heart goes out to you. HOw is she now, you said she had a child. Is she able to cope and take care of it. I would have like to have punched those teens right in their kissers! I hope my daughters don't do something like that! I've already been through hell with them! my oldest had a head injury, but she is okay.
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
30 Jan 07
She is very impulsive and headstrong. She is coping better than I thought she would. She calls every now and again and asks for help to get the baby to quit crying. We don't take any chances of her going over the edge, she calls, we run right over there.
@valmiki9 (1171)
• India
23 Dec 06
I for got to mention .My daughter had anasty head on collision about 14 years back.her head split open on one side and the doctors had a severe time in stiching it up. she was in adazed condition for a few months then becaame Ok.She is allright now. It was her 10th head injury since birth.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
24 Dec 06
Head injuries are serious, and it sucks to make a mistake like that. I know I've done a lot of things where I got hurt and later thought, "WHY?". I don't know, you just do it at the time, you don't think about what could happen.
I had a friend with a head injury before. She got hers from rolling in an SUV. Ironically, to finish something for her masters degree, which the school later discovered she was right, it was already done. I think she still has no degree, because she can't think like that anymore to finish it. Really sad. It also gave her horrible mood swings. Now at least she has a good job in a restaurant though I heard.
@Khokhonut (702)
• United States
23 Dec 06
Head injuries are so serious.
I'm sorry for all that your family went through with this ordeal, how scary.
@nobodyspecial (1011)
• United States
23 Dec 06
Any head trauma can be dangerous, bleeding and swelling in the brain causes changes in the brain structure, which in turn causes physchological changes.
The best thing for her today is to allow her to make mistakes and learn from them, the brain is a wonderful organ, it finds ways around the problems but it takes time to reroute functions to different portions.
As far as wanting to be and then becoming a bartender, there are worse things to be, and it is admirable she had a goal that she was able to realize.
1 person likes this
@albert2412 (1782)
• United States
6 Jan 07
I am so sorry that your daughter has had this terrible experience. At least she can talk and hold down a job and do a lot of things for herself. I will pray for her.
@anne_143god (5387)
• Philippines
23 Dec 06
So sorry to hear about that now I know about the danger of riding on that part of the truck. I would let the kids i our family to ride there.
@amitheone (274)
• Philippines
23 Dec 06
I symphatize with you. But, no matter what had happened to your daughter, at least she is alive and have a job of her own. She's lucky to have survived the dilemma.
