Author: Anthony Proffitt

It seemed just like an ordinary day. A 10-year-old girl sat in the back passenger seat of her family’s vehicle as they drove to return some DVDs. But in one instant, everything changed.

Another car struck the family’s vehicle on the opposite side. The girl was wearing her seatbelt, which probably saved her life. She was severely injured and was paralyzed from the waist down in the car accident. But that hasn’t stopped her from returning to her favorite activities.

She spent 16 days at a Tennessee hospital following the crash, couldn’t sit up for two weeks and at first relied on a breathing tube. But after some intense physical therapy and rehabilitation, she returned to her small school — the only place she’s really known, her family says — and has been determined not to let the wheelchair she uses get in her way.

She loves rugby and began playing again about a month after the accident. She ice skated in a production of “The Nutcracker.” She’s also on her school’s cheerleading team. A photo featured on the Knoxville News Sentinel’s website shows her shooting hoops with friends at recess.

Her family says she has been determined and positive since the crash happened almost a year ago. Already, she says she knows she will walk again. Sometimes there is movement in her legs and she is hoping to be a candidate for leg braces that could help her walk. Her family, teachers and students at her school are gearing up for a 5K this weekend that will raise funds so she can go to the Project Walk Spinal Cord Injury Recover Center for further treatment.

Her attitude, perhaps more than anything, is the key. She tells the Sentinel, “My family takes it hard sometimes, and I do, too. But the accident is over, and I am not.”

Source: Knoxville News Sentinel, “Community rallies to help 10-year-old working toward walking again after paralyzing car accident,” Allison Rupp, March 27, 2012

Driving at a high rate of speed without wearing a seat belt can be an unfortunate combination. Speed may have been a factor in a rollover crash that left five Anderson County High School students injured yesterday afternoon, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The car accident happened on Andersonville Highway just after noon. The driver of an SUV apparently lost control while going around a curve, causing a rollover. Some of the passengers were ejected from the vehicle.

Pictures posted to WBIR’s website show skid marks where the vehicle exited the road. It also shows pictures of the vehicle, which appears completely totaled.

The students were taken to UT Medical Center for treatment. At least three of them were injured critically and flown to the medical center via Lifestar. One student with minor injuries was discharged from the hospital.

Three boys and two teenage girls were involved in the crash, according to WBIR. They were all apparently believed to be sophomores at the high school. The students were apparently on their way to go fishing and swimming when the crash occurred. They had the day off because ACT testing was taking place at the school.

Some friends of the victims went to the hospital, hoping for the best. One teen said he was “devastated, but at the same time you have to remain positive,” according to WBIR. He also says the accident was scary and motivated him to always wear his seat belt.

Source: WBIR, “Five Anderson County students were taken to UT Medical Center Tuesday after SUV crash off Andersonville Pike,” March 21, 2012

There might be a reason people get grumpy about losing an hour of sleep as we “spring forward” with Daylight Savings Time. While an hour might not seem like a huge difference, the shift in sunlight can upset a person’s circadian rhythm. And that, believe it or not, can lead to car accidents and other potential mishaps.

The shift can be difficult, especially for people who have a tough time in the morning hours as it is. The time change can actually be more difficult for people than shifting a time zone while traveling, says the director of a sleep and mood disorders laboratory.

According to an interesting ABC News article, the body clock, which is a part of the brain that generates the sleep-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm, can get thrown off with less light in the morning and extra light in the evening. The circadian rhythm needs a “signal” of sorts to reset every day. People can feel exhausted when their light-dark and sleep-wake cycles don’t line up. This is what can lead to accidents and other problems.

There are ways to adjust for people who are prone to problems. The director of the sleep and mood disorders laboratory says that avoiding evening sunlight shortly after the time change can help, as can absorbing the morning sunlight after the change. That means actually getting up at dawn to be in the light and not merely sleeping by a window.

What do you think? Is the Daylight Savings change something you barely notice, or does it always feel exhausting to you?

Source: ABC News, “Daylight Savings Time 2012: How to spring forward,” Katie Moisse, March 9, 2012

Racing on public streets is dangerous for a lot of reasons. Drivers who do it are not only putting their own life in danger, but the lives of nearby motorists as well.

Two young drivers were street racing in Knoxville recently, according to witnesses. That apparently led to a head-on accident that severely injured two people.

The accident happened on State Route 394 in Blountville recently. According to the Tennessee Department of Safety, witnesses say two juveniles in separate vehicles were racing on a recent afternoon. One of the vehicles, a Honda Accord, apparently passed a slower vehicle and veered into oncoming traffic, crashing head-on with a Chevrolet pick-up truck driven by a 62-year-old man from Kingsport. Both he and the young man sustained injuries.

Charges are pending an investigation by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, according to the Times News.

The pickup truck driver’s wife says the man was hospitalized for several days. He suffered a variety of injuries, including a broken bone above his ankle that protruded from his skin. He also suffered several broken ribs, among other injuries. He was being treated at Bristol Regional Medical Center.

The young driver, who is a 17-year-old high school student, was injured as well. He was in a medically induced coma at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. He apparently required at least two days of surgery for treatment of his injuries. His most serious injury was thought to be a tear to his aorta.

Source: Times News, “Juvenile victim of Blountville crash remains in coma, second victim still hospitalized,” Rain Smith, March 1, 2012