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Car Slammed by Drunk Driver and Split in 2, Family Witnesses Miracle of Son in Coma

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The human body is an amazing creation, a complex network of tissue and blood, muscle and bone.

Sometimes it seems incredibly fragile, its composite parts only tenuously holding together.

Other times, though, it appears incredibly hardy, able to stand the most viscous abuse — and then recover from it.

Jeff Kudlacik of Overland Park, Kansas, shows just how resilient our frames can be after his involvement in a 2015 car accident.

On his 23rd birthday in March, 2015, Kudlacik was driving home from work when a drunk driver slammed into his car at a speed of approximately 100 mph.

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The impact split the vehicle in two and sent Kudlacik flying through his windshield. A passerby who quickly called 911 described him as being covered in “lots of blood.”

Indeed, his injuries were so severe that first responders initially thought he was already dead.

Even after they discovered that he was still clinging to life, radio chatter caught one firefighter saying, “We know that the guy’s probably going to pass.”

They had good reason to think so. The impact had wrenched Kudlacik’s legs around almost 180 degrees.

“There was a choice: Do we stop all the bleeding, save his life, or do we try to do both — save [him] and try to save his function, his legs?” Dr. Daniel Farrell of Overland Park Regional Medical Center told KSHB.

Physicians opted for the latter course of treatment. Kudlacik ended up needing two blood transfusions and remained in a coma for three weeks.

When he finally awoke, he showed no signs of brain damage, but he wasn’t out of the woods yet. He couldn’t move his legs and had no feeling in them.



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But that didn’t stop Kudlacik from trying. Now after nearly three years of rehabilitation, he has begun taking steps without a walker, a milestone that has family feeling as though they witnessed a miracle.

Medical professionals have also shared their awe of his recovery years later.

“I knew, with his spirit, he would do very well,” Overland Park Regional Medical Center’s Orthopedic Trauma Director Dr. Molly Black exclaimed. “I didn’t realize I would see him walk.”

“No matter how hard life is — and, trust me, there were times I wanted to cry and I just wanted to be done with life — I looked at my parents and the people who were saving me, and they had big smiles on their faces,” Kudlacik said. “I thought I could at least have a smile on mine.”

After seeing what doctors were able to do for him, Kudlacik is now studying to become one.

“It makes everything worth it,” he said. “Doing what they did, I’m going to make sure my life is worth it now.”

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A graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in literature, Loren also adores language. He has served as assistant editor for Plugged In magazine and copy editor for Wildlife Photographic magazine.
A graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in literature, Loren also adores language. He has served as assistant editor for Plugged In magazine and copy editor for Wildlife Photographic magazine. Most days find him crafting copy for corporate and small-business clients, but he also occasionally indulges in creative writing. His short fiction has appeared in a number of anthologies and magazines. Loren currently lives in south Florida with his wife and three children.
Education
Wheaton College
Location
Florida
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Entertainment, Faith, Travel




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