The Ongoing Problem of Motor Vehicle Accidents

It might be the most consequential moment in a person's life. A car accident can change someone's world forever, and despite vast improvements in modern vehicle safety features and technology, car accidents remain one of the most common forms of death and morbidity in society today. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 20 to 50 million people are injured in motor vehicle crashes each year, with 1.35 million people dying from these types of accidents annually (World Health Organization, 2020). Canada's most recent statistics show that in 2018 there were 1922 deaths in motor vehicle accidents and 152 847 injuries reported (Transport Canada, 2020).

Devyn and Kiesza's Story

It's easy to dismiss these numbers because they're often presented as just that, numbers on a page. But behind each of these statistics are human lives, people who have had their world turned upside down due to tragedy, and the injuries are often catastrophic. Look at the case of Devyn Brinkerhoff, a student who was in a car accident after enjoying a day off with friends. Devyn's accident left her with a bleed in her brain, breathing issues, rib fractures, a collapsed lung, a lacerated liver, injured kidneys, an injured spleen and a severely broken pelvis, to name a few (McCrimmon of UC Health, 2018).

Similar tragedy struck Canadian singer-songwriter Kiesza, who suffered brain injury as a result of a 2017 car accident. She described worsening symptoms as time passed, and was eventually forced to check herself into an emergency room in New York five days after the accident (Brain Injury Canada, 2020). Today, Kiesza still experiences symptoms associated with her brain injury including nausea, balance issues and trouble completing daily tasks.

The Role of Rehabilitation in Their Recovery

Reading about these incidents makes it easy to lose your sense of hope. For people like Devyn and Kiesza who have experienced the tragedy of a motor vehicle accident, how do you move forward?

Stories like these highlight the importance of rehabilitation, a term defined by the World Health Organization as interventions that are necessary when someone is experiencing functional limitations due to a health condition or trauma (World Health Organization 2019). In the case of both Devyn and Kiesza, rehabilitation was fundamentally important important in their road to recovery.

Devyn worked closely with physical therapists and other medical personnel following her accident. The amazing care she was provided from UC Health, a not for profit healthcare system based out of Colorado, along with her courageous attitude ultimately led to Devyn being able to graduate with her high school class just months after the accident (McCrimmon, 2018). Today, Devyn works as a nurse and is able to work 12 hour+ shifts caring for people and serving as an inspiration for all those who have suffered tragic accidents similar to hers. In the case of Kiesza, an article out of the Brain Injury of Canada showed that she is continuing with various different therapies today to help her deal with the lasting symptoms of her accident. She uses meditation to help manage her emotions and has changed her diet to to help deal with the ongoing feelings of nausea she experiences (Brain Injury of Canada, 2020). These remedial approaches have helped Kiesza manage her brain injury, and she's since released a new album called Crave that dropped this past August. Kiesza has noted that her car injury was one of the hardest things that ever happened to her, but through that adversity she has seen the hope her story can bring to others (Brain Injury of Canada, 2020).

Conclusion

In short, these personal stories highlight the importance that rehabilitation has on someone's recovery following a motor vehicle accident. Beyond this, it's important to recognize that the rehabilitative treatment each person receives should be tailored to their unique symptoms, personal characteristics and trauma severity. Devyn and Kiesza had vastly different injuries to deal with following their accidents, but in both cases it was made clear that their rehabilitation was unique to their needs and fundamentally important in their journey towwards recovery. So if you or someone you know is ever involved in a motor vehicle accident and suffers injuries as a result, try not to lose hope. There are options available to help deal with a loss of functioning, and Devyn and Kiesza's courage, perseverance and bravery in the midst of such trauma should serve as inspiration for anyone going through similar experiences.

Key Metrix delivers purpose-built innovations in health technology with a focus on Rehabilitation and Human Performance

References

Canadian Motor Vehicle Traffic Collision Statistics: 2018, Transport Canada (2020, July

09). Retrieved October 22, 2020, from

https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transportation/motor-vehicle-safety/canadian-motor-veh

icle-traffic-collision-statistics-2018

From Multiple Trauma to Major Recovery - Devyn's Story [Video file], UC Health (2015,

February 4).

Retrieved October 21, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzSXWfVTokI

McCrimmon, K. K. (2020, June 16). Car accident survivor became 'everybody's kid'.

Retrieved October 22, 2020, from

https://www.uchealth.org/today/car-accident-survivor-became-everybodys-kid/

Road traffic injuries, World Health Organization (2019, July 4). Retrieved October 22,

2020, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries

Stories of Acquired Brain Injury - Kiesza, Brain Injury Canada (2020). Retrieved October

22, 2020, from https://www.braininjurycanada.ca/stories/kiesza/