Horrific crash may end up saving woman's life
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SEATTLE -- An inch or two was the difference between life and death for a local woman whose minivan was impaled by a large tree Monday afternoon in Duvall.
Shawna Ventura miraculously survived the horrific crash and was rushed to Harborview Medical Center, where she's currently recovering from her injuries.
Ventura passed out behind the wheel, and the last thing she remembers is driving home after running a few errands.
"I remember they were calling my name and I remember waking up and being in the driver seat with my head this way and the tree literally on top of me here," she said.
Witnesses say the 43-year-old drove right off the road. The tree that shot through her window missed her, but it was her own seat belt that nearly killed her.
"Her face started to turn color, to blue and purple," one witness said.
A truck driver named Urban Melander was in the right place at the right time and with the right tool. He was driving behind Ventura, and after the crash he pulled over and used a pocket knife to cut the woman's seat belt.
"Walking up to that car I was really scared," Melander said. "She was crammed underneath the tree."
Using his knife, which had been a Christmas gift, Melander cut the seat belt and heard Ventura take a huge breath.
In an ironic twist, the horrific crash may end up saving Ventura's life.
"(Doctors) ran a CT scan to see if I had a head injury and found that I have a growth growing in the left side of my brain," she said.
She believes that growth may be the reason she passed out behind the wheel on Monday.
"I've been chronically tired lately and I think that has to do with what they found," she said.
Melander said he's just glad he was there and ready to help, but Ventura believes she might not be here today if hadn't stepped in.
"I really need to tell him, 'Thank you for my life. Thank you,'" she said.
Ventura was released from the hospital on Wednesday and said she's waiting on results from a biopsy.
Shawna Ventura miraculously survived the horrific crash and was rushed to Harborview Medical Center, where she's currently recovering from her injuries.
Ventura passed out behind the wheel, and the last thing she remembers is driving home after running a few errands.
"I remember they were calling my name and I remember waking up and being in the driver seat with my head this way and the tree literally on top of me here," she said.
Witnesses say the 43-year-old drove right off the road. The tree that shot through her window missed her, but it was her own seat belt that nearly killed her.
"Her face started to turn color, to blue and purple," one witness said.
A truck driver named Urban Melander was in the right place at the right time and with the right tool. He was driving behind Ventura, and after the crash he pulled over and used a pocket knife to cut the woman's seat belt.
"Walking up to that car I was really scared," Melander said. "She was crammed underneath the tree."
Using his knife, which had been a Christmas gift, Melander cut the seat belt and heard Ventura take a huge breath.
In an ironic twist, the horrific crash may end up saving Ventura's life.
"(Doctors) ran a CT scan to see if I had a head injury and found that I have a growth growing in the left side of my brain," she said.
She believes that growth may be the reason she passed out behind the wheel on Monday.
"I've been chronically tired lately and I think that has to do with what they found," she said.
Melander said he's just glad he was there and ready to help, but Ventura believes she might not be here today if hadn't stepped in.
"I really need to tell him, 'Thank you for my life. Thank you,'" she said.
Ventura was released from the hospital on Wednesday and said she's waiting on results from a biopsy.
Just to let everybody know, that i was not the only one at the accident. We were 3-4 people and we all did our part to save her. But I was the one that had the knife. I am very glad she made it, and hope that the biopsy comes out good.Â
Sometimes things work in funny ways. I am glad this woman is going to be OK. I hope the biopsy comes back good. About the same thing happened to my mom. She got food poisoning, was rushed to the hospital. They did a CT scan and found a tumor. It is cancer but found early. We hope and pray she will be OK.
Merry Christmas Mr. Melander.
Thank God.
I am praying for this sweet sweet soul and her gentle hero. I pray that biopsy comes out benign
Sounds like an accident with mixed blessings. I hope she recovers and gets well soon.
"...but it was her own seat belt that nearly killed her."
I had a friend who passed away during an accident, and his seat belt is partly to blame. He was driving down a 2-lane road when some idiot going the other direction tried to pass a big rig and was coming at him head-on at 60 + mph. My friend veered off the road to keep from hitting head-on and his truck slid off the side of the road and wrapped around a tree on the passenger side. Crunched the whole side of his truck in almost all the way to the drivers side.Â
The investigator determined that if my friend hadn't been wearing his seat belt, most likely the momentum of the crash would have slid him over into the drivers door, where he would have had enough room to miss getting crushed by the passenger side of the truck. However, since he was wearing his seat belt, he had no where to go.Â
I'm not saying he would have survived if he hadn't been wearing his seat belt, however he would have had a better chance at survival without one.Â
@Tattooed_Angel2 Statistically, I think it's 2% of accidents, the seatbelt does more harm than good.
This lady is overdue for some good news. Â Hope her biopsy results will be okay.
Please update us with your biopsy results. I'm interested in learning more about things like this with the brain. So glad you are ok and wow what a turn of events.
@kentsbike "in the right place, with the right tool, at the right time".
Wow..well that's one way to find out. I'm glad she's doing well and how incredible that Mr. Melander was there at the right time! She definitely has something important to do here before her time comes!
WOW! I work with her ex-husband & saw this pic on his phone the other day...
Never judge what seen like a cut and dry thing till you have all the facts. She had a medical event not texting like so many thought in this forem the other day...
@bustedupredneck These comment sections are filled to the brim with people who know everything about everything.
@bustedupredneck Yeah, one person mentioned texting, and the rest of the Perfect People jumped right on that.Â
wow, what luck! Sorry for the accident but wow! Thank goodness docs caught that