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car accident

Heroes

Missing injured mom survives six days in ditch by using her hoodie to reach water

She fell asleep at the wheel and woke to a crash that seriously injured her legs and wrists.

Photo credit: Canva

Missing injured mom survives by using her hoodie to reach water

Getting into an accident typically isn't on the top of anyone's list of things to do for the day. Most people work very hard to avoid experiencing the trauma involved with colliding into another vehicle or careening off the road. But being human means mistakes are made and car accidents are bound to happen from time to time.

Brieonna Cassell, 41 recently lived through a harrowing accident after she fell asleep at the wheel resulting in serious injuries that left her stranded for six days in her car. It wasn't easy for passersby to spot the vehicle due to her ending up in a ditch under a bridge, though she could hear the nearby cars passing her by.

The Indiana mother of three was unable to escape the car with the extensive injuries to her wrists and legs. Phoning for help was also out of the question since her cell phone was dead under one of the seats in her car. All Cassell could do was scream for help and hope by some miracle someone could hear her cries. But after nearly a week of no one coming to her rescue, she resigned herself to dying there in the ditch.

car in a ditchWhat happens next is a miracle. Photo credit: Canva

Cassell was unaware that her family was searching extensively for her. They'd even included volunteers in the effort to find the missing mom. Her photo was widely circulated in the area in hopes to locate her before it was too late. Still, from Cassell's view, she was running out of time. With nothing to eat or drink and no way to get to sustenance, she had to be resourceful to buy herself more time until someone could find her.

The seriously injured woman used her hoodie to lower it down into the water that collects in the ditch. Once the hood was saturated, she would pull the hoodie back into the car and suck the water out of the material. Finding access to water is what likely kept her alive until the sixth day when a man driving a tall tractor working for a drainage and excavation company noticed her car.

"She was stuck in the car and could not get out. But she was able to reach the water from the car. The only way she was able to survive was using her hoodie and dipping it into the water in a ditch and sucking the water, or bringing the the water into her mouth from the ditch," the woman's father Delmar Caldwell tells ABC News.

Thanks to the diligent efforts of her family and community members to make sure everyone knew her face, the tractor operator, Johnny Martinez, recognized Cassell when he saw her. The woman was flown to a hospital in Chicago to be treated for her injuries and is listed in serious condition. But, she's in good spirits.

gif of firemen saving someone from a crashed carChicago Fire GIF by Wolf EntertainmentGiphy

Jeremy Vanderwall, assistant chief at a local volunteer fire department tells the outlet, "She said, 'I didn't think anybody was gonna find me. I thought I was gonna die in this ditch.'"

Thankfully for all involved, Cassell's grim predictions didn't come true and Martinez was able to call for help, which included his boss, Vanderwall, getting her the urgent care she needed.

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Georgia teens are being hailed as heroes after rescuing woman trapped in car

“We need to hurry!”

Photo by Will Creswick on Unsplash

Georgia teens rescue woman trapped in her car.

Five teens from Rome, Georgia, recently earned their spot as heroes. Antwion Carey, Alto Moore, Tyson Brown, Cesar Parker and Treyvon Adams were driving to school when they witnessed a car accident. The accident left a woman trapped in her vehicle, which they noticed was starting to smoke.

Their teacher, Louis Goya, heard the accident as he was standing outside of the school greeting students as they entered school.

Goya told USA Today that he ran to the intersection when he heard the noise and called 911. The teacher recalled, "There was smoke coming up from the hood. There was fluid on the ground," before relaying to the dispatcher, "We need to hurry!" The teen boys that witnessed the crash are football players and their strength came in handy when the decision was made to help the woman trapped in the car. In this instance, the teens were in the right place at the right time.

The photos of the woman's car show it to be pretty badly damaged and both doors were tightly shut due to the impact of the accident. The boys didn't hesitate to help the woman at the scene. Adams, 16, told Fox 5, "We all knew we had to get her out before something worse would happen."

The football players ran over to help when they saw the woman screaming and with blood on her face. They tried the door on the passenger side first and when it wouldn't open, the video shows they ran to the other side of the car and collectively yanked on the door. After a few good tugs, the door swung open and they were able to get the woman to safety. But the athletes weren't done. Once they realized the woman was safe, they went to check on the other car involved in the crash.

Their coach was impressed by their heroism, but not surprised. Coach John Reid told Fox 5, "When I saw the video I was like, oh my gosh, these kids really did run right into danger and have a sensational event where they helped a lady out of a car that could have caught fire."

Screenshot from Fox 5 video.

Fox 5

Rome City School District posted about the event on its Facebook page and the comments are filled with praise for the teens. Goya, who witnessed the boys' heroism firsthand, gave a statement about their bravery on the Facebook post, saying in part, "The Rome High School football players really showed up today. They went above and beyond to help this lady without hesitation.”

It's true. These teen boys are absolutely heroes. Thanks to their quick thinking the woman involved in the accident was able to be brought to safety. She was transported to the hospital where she was treated for cuts and bruises and X-rayed to look for fractures. Currently it is unclear if she was released.

Way to go guys! We're sure you'll continue to do great things in your lifetimes.

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Two teens got called out for making a TikTok video after a car crash, but they say it helped them 'cope'

Can the teens do literally anything without being blasted? Apparently not...

Katie Cornetti and Marissa Bordas, two Pittsburgh teens, were involved in a car crash. After taking a sharp turn on a winding road, the car flipped twice, then landed on its side. The girls said later on that they weren't on their phones at the time. The cause of the crash was because the tires on Bordas' car were mounted improperly.

The girls were wearing their seatbelts and were fine, aside from a few bruises. However, they were trapped in the car for about 20 minutes, so to pass the time while they waited for help, they decided to make a TikTok video. They made sure they were totally fine before they started recording.

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The video shows the teens joyfully lip syncing to Stupid by Ashnikko and Yung Baby Tate while the camera pans around, revealing massive cracks in the windshield.


youtu.be


They also posted a follow up video making fun of the crash a few days later.


The video of the crash went viral after YouTuber Zane Hijazishared it on Twitter.

The girls were criticized for making a video right after their car flipped. Some saw it as the epitome of what's wrong with social media and/or the youth today and/or America.






Ah, yes! Because everyone who's gotten in a car accident wants to hear, "What's wrong with you?" instead of "Are you okay?"

RELATED: Remember the viral video of someone with a Delta flight to themselves? There's more to the story

The girls don't feel that their video is in the wrong. They say that the TikTok was their way of coping with the accident, not a moment of irresponsibility. "We saw [the window] shatter and we look at each other, and were like, 'Are you OK? Are you OK?' Once we figured out we were all OK, we started laughing," Cornetti told BuzzFeed News. "We're best friends and this is how we coped together."

The TikTok made a bad situation better. "That was the first thing that came to mind...to do that," she said. "It really was scary...But we decided let's do this to get our minds off of it, and honestly it helped a lot."

Laughing about the accident might actually be a better way to cope. "There was not much we could do to make anything better, so that's what we decided to do," Cornetti said. "Literally the week before I got into a small car accident I was freaking out and crying — that was not the best way to cope with anything."

The fact that social media is a distraction isn't always negative. "[Social media] is distracting...in ways, it's bad distracting, but it helped us get out of the real world for a second and helped us calm down. I would never have said that before this," she continued.

The girls also responded to the criticism in another video, clearing up some of the misperceptions.


katiecornetti on TikTokwww.tiktok.com


There's no one "correct" way to cope with negative experiences. Sometimes staying positive and using humor is the best way to deal with a bad situation.

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The internet's rallying behind these kids big time after a tragedy took their parents.

Unthinkable tragedy struck the Clemens family of Texas in April.

On April 7, 2018, Jim and Karisa Clemens — along with their 2-month-old, Julieanna — were killed driving home from a family outing.

A vehicle crossed the highway median and struck the Clemens' Suburban, killing the parents and baby, according to San Angelo Live. Jim and Karisa's four other children, who'd all been in the car too — Angela, Zachary, Wyatt, and Nicholas — survived the crash with varying degrees of injury.

The Clemens family months before the accident. Left to right: Zachary, Karisa (pregnant with Julieanna), Angela, Jim, Wyatt, and Nicholas (in his dad's arms). Photo via Teresa Burrell, used with permission.

There are no words to describe what Angela, Zachary, Wyatt, and Nicholas are going through after that.

The emotional and physical toll they've endured the past few weeks — recovery from a multitude of injuries and the devastation of losing both parents — is unfathomable.

Nicholas, 2, was released from the hospital a few days after the accident, the children's great-aunt Teresa Burrell confirms. He's doing well. Wyatt, 4, experienced brain trauma and strokes in the aftermath of the crash, leaving him with paralysis on his left side.

Zachary, 5, suffered significant setbacks, including bruised lungs and a broken back. And 8-year-old Angela sustained broken legs from the crash and severe head trauma. She was in a coma the first week after the crash, and the family still isn't sure how much brain damage has occurred, Burrell says.

The physical and emotional healing is just beginning for the Clemens kids. But they're "very resilient," according to their great-aunt. And, crucially, they have each other.

A few days ago, Angela and Zachary were reunited for the first time after the wreck.

A physical therapist at the hospital caught the heartbreaking yet hopeful moment in a photo as the brother and sister laid side by side, hand in hand.

The image has tugged on the heartstrings of many.

Angela and Zachary. Photo courtesy of Teresa Burrell, used with permission.

"My heart is bursting!" someone commented on the photo, which was shared with a note describing each child's progress and the challenges that lie ahead. "They are such special spirits."

"I’m so glad these beautiful kids are surrounded by their loved ones and improving every day," someone else chimed in.

"Omg," another wrote. "This picture has a million feelings running through me."

Through an online fundraiser, Burrell is keeping family and friends — and now big-hearted supporters from around the world — updated on the kids' recoveries.

The family launched the page to help with the massive financial burdens associated with the tragedy. "The children will need extensive care for many months," Burrell wrote. "We are seeking funds to help with the funeral arrangements and for medical care [for] these sweet little children."

Zachary, Wyatt, and Angela. Photo courtesy of Teresa Burrell, used with permission.

Faith has always been important to the Clemens family. So the outpouring of positive thoughts and prayers from people near and far — from Germany and New York to Taiwan and California — has made a big difference.

"We have been upheld from people of many different faiths and beliefs who have prayed for us and the children," she says. "It is humbling and brings peace in a very difficult time."

Fortunately, there have been many milestones worth celebrating since Angela, Zachary, Wyatt, and Nicholas entered care.

While the extent of Angela's brain damage has yet to be determined, the improvement she's shown has been encouraging, Burrell says. In a matter of days, the 8-year-old went from speaking just one word to reading and singing along with her siblings.

Wyatt, too, has made remarkable progress. Working with a physical therapist, he took his first steps after the accident. He's able to lift his left arm above his head and throw a ball. "Now they have to make sure he doesn't try to run away from them because he doesn't have his balance yet," Burrell says.

Wyatt. Photo courtesy of Teresa Burrell, used with permission.

Zachary has a particularly tough road ahead though. "We are asking for prayers for our little Zachary," Burrell requests, noting he's still fighting through respiratory issues and will have many more surgeries down the road. "He is really having a hard time with his internal injuries."

But the Clemens kids have "astounded" doctors with their recoveries thus far. And there's plenty of reason to hope that progress will continue in the weeks and months ahead.

It won't be easy. But these kids have an incredible support system to rely on — and lots of fun sibling time to sustain the smiles when times get tough.

Photo courtesy of Teresa Burrell, used with permission.

"We have all been moved by [the kids'] faith, courage, and support [for] one another," Burrell wrote in a Facebook post. "It is a testament of their wonderful parents."

To stay updated on the Clemens' recoveries and support the family's fundraiser, visit Burrell's page on Facebook.

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