My accident was 33 years ago when I was a mere 18 years of age.  I was
driving a van on a misty morning when a driver pulled out in front pulling a camper
and driving much slower than the flow of traffic so I slowed down (or so witnesses
said as I can not remember that day or the previous evening).  I waited patiently
until we went through an "S" curve to pass.   
 
Then I accelerated to about 70 mph, plus some, and the driver behind me reported
that the driver side rear wheel hit the edge of the pavement where worker's added
about a foot to the both sides of the pavement.  When the wheel hit the seam,
moisture and added dust from the previous week there was slippery slime.  The back
of the van started to "fish-tail" and the driver behind me said I just about pulled
it out when all of a sudden the truck veered to the left, crossed a ditch and hit an
embankment; it was a driver s side corner contact with the ground.   
 
After digging out a two foot hole the vehicle glance back toward the highway but as
it did so it hit the passenger side bumper and flipped the van end-for-end three
times. 
 
On the last flip I was ejected out the back doors where I landed head first on the
pavement causing three fractures to the left side of my skull and causing a
contusion to the brainstem and the concussion/contusion to the entire left side of
my brain and a shattered left clavicle. 
 
I was in a coma for 12 day and when I came to I was blind, paralyzed on my right
side, unable to speak or walk and "dam*ed" angry.  After I got over the anger and
accepted my situation I recover fast and within two years began my college career. 
My handwriting was the slowest thing to return to me as well as the walking skills. 
Everyone said I had a different walk which is true as I had my old pathway
destroyed. 
 
What makes my situation a little different is that I have had multiply tbis' in my
youth; falling from a tree, being bucked off a horse and then kicked on the way down
and the latest was an injury which occur at work about 2 years ago; plus the aging
of the brain (I am 51) but my mind is much older; neuro-pathways disintegrate with
age but for tbier we don't have the original pathways we have reconstructed pathways
established as we healed.  Yes, the brain can and does reconstruct new pathways all
the time but there is a time of what I call diminishing returns.  That is the point
where medication and the brains healing capacity can not keep up with the aging
process.  Before my time most of us died but as medicine improve people began to
survive more and more; however, as more and more of us aged survivors live we are
starting to report into our doctors about memory loss, motor skill lose and etc. 
For me I have losses in all areas of memory and I am declining on my right side
where I was paralyzed. 
 
I have epilepsy and have had it since I was a child but I was just not aware of it. 
I know my pee-wee coach came by the night after practice when he caught me "zoned"
out and talked to my parents about it but they never said anything to me.  I
remember now many times when I was having seizures but attributed them to day
dreaming or abdominal cramping but after the last injury I started loosing time
where I would end up in place I did know how I got there. 
 
Best wishes, 
 
olan 

Email  Olan "Cotton"