Allen County teen car accident survivor

Crash changes Ben's life forever

Written by Jenelle and Tom Kline, parents of an Allen County Teen Crash Survivor

The phone rang early in the morning on November 30, 2003. It was the hospital calling to tell us that our son, Ben, had been in an accident. We were to come to the hospital as soon as we could get there. Little did we know that this accident would be one that would change the lives of family and friends forever.

Ben was driving to a friend’s house that early morning. He had friends in the car, and they were coming from a party. We were later told that he slid on a patch of ice and hit a tree at a high speed. One of the passengers was killed. Ben would never know that his best friend had died that early morning. The others in the back seat were badly injured.

Ben’s injuries were severe. He suffered a traumatic brain injury, a lacerated diaphragm, a fractured neck and a broken right leg. He was put on life support and had instruments put into his skull to measure the pressure and swelling of his brain. The swelling in his brain caused even more damage. Ben was in a coma in the ICU for a total of 54 agonizing days. He was still in a coma when he left the hospital and was admitted to a nursing home close to where we live. The hospital could do nothing more for him.

It has been one and a half years since the accident, and Ben still continues to recover. His recovery is very slow but we take anything we can get. He does not speak, walk or eat. He has a feeding tube inserted into his stomach to get the nutrition he needs. He can stand with support, and he can help with transferring himself to his wheelchair or bed.

We often think of what Ben and our family would be doing right now. We would be watching him play football his senior year with his brother and friends. Football was Ben’s love, and his awards proved how much he enjoyed it. He also played basketball and had a part-time job when he wasn’t conditioning for sports. He enjoyed being with his friends. He was an excellent student and always received good grades in his classes at school. He was on the honor roll and principal’s list and was also in the National Honor Society. Ben had hoped to go to a college where he could play football and study engineering. We would have loved to watch Ben play football at college, but that dream is gone. He will never play football or any sport again. He will never be independent again.

At this time Ben continues to live at a nursing home. We work with him every day on moving his wheelchair and with his range of motion. We pray that one day soon Ben will speak. We miss hearing his voice and hope that one day soon he will be able to say, “I love you guys and thank you.”

Remember that choices you make can change not just your life, but the lives of your family and friends as well. It only takes a bad decision and one split second for lives to be changed forever.