PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — Erika Brigman can stroll as soon as once more with out a crutch or help after enduring a head-on collision with a drunk driver in July 2023.
Brigman has spent a 12 months recovering together with her household in North Carolina earlier than spending the final 12 months again in Pensacola to complete recovering.
Brigman broke her left foot talus, left leg tibia, each kneecaps, a damaged proper arm and punctured lung. Nonetheless, the key harm was accomplished to Brigman’s again because the seat belt broke her again.
“As an alternative of sitting in your hips, prefer it shifted off, and it internally slashed me in half and broke my again,” Brigman recalled.
“Should you would have informed me whereas I used to be sitting in that hospital mattress that I’d have beloved my life a 12 months and a half from now, I would not have believed you,” she added.
Erika Brigman in restoration from her accidents. (Courtesy of Erika Brigman)
In July 2023, Brigman and her good friend, Annah Lewis, had been on their option to lunch alongside Pine Forest Street. Having taken separate automobiles, Lewis was forward of Brigman and was safely the parking zone first.
When Brigman went to show into the parking zone, she was struck by one other car.
Lewis stayed by her good friend’s aspect as she was rushed to Sacred Coronary heart Hospital. She remembered one in every of Brigman’s docs telling her one thing she’d always remember.
“I’ve by no means seen something like this one, like the entire inside lower backward and forward all the best way round, and he is by no means seen anybody survive it,” mentioned Lewis. “And that actually hit me, and I used to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, she may have actually died proper there on the highway that day.”
Sacred Coronary heart Emergency Providers Director Christie Jandora mentioned it is uncommon for medical professionals to witness the long-term restoration of former sufferers.
“We deal with them within the ER now,” Jandora mentioned. “We’d see them a little bit bit by the rehab course of, however then, two years down the highway, except we stumble upon them within the grocery retailer, or someplace, you actually do not all the time understand how nice they’re doing.”
