A Wisconsin high school student was left paralyzed after a horrific truck accident while traveling out of state.
Evelyn Laux, 17, was visiting a friend in rural St. Paul, Nebraska, on Jan. 3 when she convinced him to let her drive his truck.
She lost control of the vehicle and as she overcorrected the steering wheel, it turned upside down, destroying the truck.
“Evelyn was thrown into the backseat and secured in a twisted position until the amazing rescuers were able to use the jaws of life to remove her from the vehicle,” a police spokesperson said. GoFundMe page for the family said.
The teen’s friend was thrown from the truck and miraculously walked away with minor injuries.
Her parents – Connie and Tyson “TJ” Laux – told the story WISN Their daughter’s iPhone and the Life 360 app alerted them to the crash.
They immediately drove the 620 miles from their home in Waterford, Wisconsin, to be by their daughter’s side in Nebraska.
“The neurosurgeon told us it wasn’t a life-threatening injury and she would be fine, but she would be paralyzed, probably because her spine was literally broken in half,” Connie said.
Evelyn Laux, 17, was visiting a friend in rural St. Paul, Nebraska, on January 3 when she convinced him to let her drive his truck
She lost control of the vehicle and as she overcorrected the steering wheel, it turned upside down, destroying the truck.
“After five hours, the neurosurgeon was able to successfully stitch her mangled spine back together,” the GoFundMe said.
‘However, the spinal cord had been severed, so all bowel, bladder, sensation and movement below her navel have stopped.’
Her parents said the high school student is starting to accept her new reality.
‘The first thing my daughter said to me was that I was so sorry. The next comment was: I will never be able to play softball, ride horses or become a veterinarian,” the fundraiser said.
Photos show the teenager practicing various sports, winning horse riding ribbons and doing karate.
“She loves pretty much everything,” her father said. “She hunts, fishes, snowmobiles, rides horses. She loves animals.’
As the Laux family works to return to Wisconsin, they say they are trying to keep Evelyn motivated during her recovery.
“We are doing everything we can to encourage her and give her positive things to look forward to,” the family said.
The high school student was left paralyzed from the navel down
Her parents said the first thing she said to them after waking up was, “I’m so sorry.”
Her parents said the high school student is starting to accept her new reality
“Evelyn will have to learn to be independent, but that may require several years of help before that can happen.”
The teen is trying to sit up in her hospital bed and may need to go to a rehabilitation center in Colorado before returning home.
The Laux’s said they are raising money to do a major renovation of their home to make it wheelchair accessible.