Woman who desperately tried to buckle her seat belt as the vehicle she was in spun out of control is left with a scar spanning her entire torso after her organs lacerated
- WARNING DISTRESSING CONTENT
- Ashley Waldram, 27, from New Mexico was injured after vehicle went over ledge
- As she tried to buckle herself in, vehicle took a dangerous turn and rolled over
- Was left with serious injuries including a lacerated liver and bleeds on the brain
- Has been left with huge scar running across torso and suffers from PTSD
A woman who desperately tried to buckle her seat belt as the vehicle she was in spun out of control has been left with lifelong injuries and scar spanning her entire torso.
Technical writer, Ashley Waldram, 27, from New Mexico, was the passenger in an all-terrain vehicle that was being driven by her uncle, Junior, 42, but unfortunately, she hadn’t buckled her seat belt when the vehicle went over a ledge at 50 miles per hour.
She was found with her head wedged between the seat and external frame, and was flown to hospital with serious injuries including a lacerated liver and kidneys, bleeds on her brain and a collapsed lung.
Three days after arriving she had titanium plates inserted into her ribcage to stabilise it, which left enormous scars across her torso.
Three years on, Ashley still suffers with PTSD but said that her scars are a ‘badge of honor’ that she wears with pride.
Technical writer Ashley Waldram, 27, suffered a fractured skull, brain bleeds, broken right upper arm, collapsed lung, severe liver laceration, six broken ribs on the right and an unknown number on the left after the all-terrain vehicle she was in crashed. (Pictured: Ashley in hospital)
After she spent three days on a ventilator doctors had to insert titanium plates into her back, leaving a large scar, to stabilise the ribcage
The scars took years to heal after the January 2016 crash – where she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt – and are still visible on her body
‘In January 2016, my uncle and I took the ATV out to the sand dunes outside Carlsbad in New Mexico,’ said Ashley, re-calling the life-changing day.
‘I remember trying to buckle in while we were racing fast down the stretch. We made a turn, went over a ledge and I don’t remember anything until we stopped rolling.
‘My uncle was ejected immediately, and he wasn’t buckled in either, but I was tossed around inside.
‘When it stopped moving, I was found unresponsive with my head between the seat and the side rail.’
Her uncle Junior, 42, who was also not wearing a seat belt was flung from the car but suffered only minor scrapes to his hands and knees.
The all-terrain vehicle she was travelling in at 50mph went over a ledge, spun out of control and rolled over
After being rescued from the wreckage, Ashley was also found to have sustained major wounds on both her arms, including breaking the right humerus bone
Ashley spent six months recovering from the crash. Doctors and nurses dressed her wounds before operating again in July 2017 to straighten her septum, which had been making it difficult to breathe
‘My uncle was conscious and called for help. Luckily there were two bystanders who witnessed it and immediately came to our aid,’ she said.
‘They put me in their ATV and helped us get to the main road to wait for the ambulance.’
‘I remember that hard landing and then I remember sitting in someone’s ATV waiting for the ambulance. I kept pulling my knees to my chest. I don’t remember anything else until the day after I was off the ventilator.
‘Before I could fly, they had to manually re-inflate my lung.
‘Once I got to the hospital, I had a chest tube placed, multiple blood transfusions and I was placed on a ventilator for three days.
‘I had minor skull fractures including my maxillofacial bone in my cheek, minor brain bleeds, my right humerus was broken and later repaired with a metal plate, I had a grade four liver laceration that they treated with multiple blood transfusions, grade two kidney lacerations, six broken ribs on my right side, and an unknown amount on the left.
‘I also had a minor chest burn and a deviated septum.
Ashley pictured in hospital after the crash. She was also riding in the vehicle with her uncle Junior, 42, at the time, who also was not wearing a seat belt. He was flung from the vehicle and suffered only minor cuts to his hands and knees
Doctors had to insert two titanium plates to stabilise her ribcage, leaving a large scar across her torso. (left: An X-ray of her chest)
Ashley, pictured after her scars had mostly healed, said that she now embraces her scars and wears them as a badge of honor
‘When I woke up, I remember asking if my younger cousins had seen anything and I was really worried about them.
‘The pain wasn’t too bad due to all the pain medication, but a few days later I had surgery to repair my arm and four ribs and the pain was unbearable after surgery.
‘Initially, doctors weren’t sure if I would make a full recovery, but after I made it through the first 48 hours the chances got higher.’
After surgery in 2016, in July the following year she had a further operation to straighten her septum, which had been making it difficult for her to breathe.
Almost four years after the accident, Ashley is sharing images of her scars to remind people to always wear their seat belts.
‘Recovery was very long, physically and mentally’, she said.
‘There were days when I would sit in the bathroom and just cry because I couldn’t bathe myself, feed myself, and it hurt to breathe. It was very overwhelming at times.’
Ashley pictured after the crash with a cut still visible on her cheek
And Ashley taking selfies of herself in the car showing scars on both her left and right arms following the crash. She said she broke her right humerus
After healing Ashley came to get a photo with the firemen that rescued her from the vehicle, where she was found with her head wedged between the seat and the side of the vehicle
‘I came out of hospital on February 8 and then I did a lot of physical therapy to get the use in my arm back over the years following surgery.
‘I still face effects from the crash to this day.
‘Physically, my lung capacity has decreased quite a bit and my arm and ribs ache a lot in the cold weather. Mentally, I struggle with PTSD when I think about it.
‘In 2017, my septum was repaired because I couldn’t breathe out of one side of my nose. The surgeon went in and straightened everything out so I could breathe easier.
‘Now, I embrace my scars from that day – I wear them as a badge of honor with pride.
‘No matter how long a road to recovery you have, you can’t lose faith.
‘Take every single win you can get, whether it’s big or small, and you shouldn’t be afraid to count on your loved ones.
‘Most of all, don’t be afraid or ashamed to ask for help.’
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