Jake died that night. I lost my husband, and I became a widow at 18. I became a single mom to a 13-month-old who would never remember what an amazing man her dad was. I lost my best friend, my high school sweetheart.
We were in a head-on collision. Jake wasn’t wearing his seatbelt. There was a nail in my front left tire which caused me to swerve left. I have no memory of it except for Jake telling me to drive and putting our daughter in her seat. He had her seatbelt on just right and it saved her life. The cops at the scene told my parents, ‘If he was wearing his seatbelt, he would have survived.’
I was flown to a different hospital from him and our daughter. I suffered a traumatic brain injury, bleeding on my brain in two different spots, a broken femur, and a broken upper left arm. We were SO blessed that someone stopped and checked on our baby and held her until paramedics arrived. She was only bruised. He made sure she was fine before getting her out of her carseat. I have been connected with him through our community here.
My family went to be by Jake’s side once they knew I was stable and my daughter was fine. Once at the hospital, they decided with his family, it was time to unplug the machines. He was pronounced brain dead on March 8, 2012. The people in the other car were fine.
A funeral was held by Jake’s family without me, my daughter, or my family in attendance. My family watched it on Skype and was able to get it recorded for me to have. A friend of ours told my parents it was being held and they had to find a way to be there. Due to the lack of no communication, Skype was the only way for my family. The church so kindly made it possible. My parents were able to find out burial information and made sure I was there before they put my husband in the ground. I had to stay several weeks in the hospital followed by rehab for my brain injury.