THE ACCIDENT

Intro:

I woke up the morning of my birthday never expecting the day to unravel the way it did, in complete horror. It was suppose to be a special day. Instead, I found myself in the midst of chaos. I never thought that, on the day we celebrate life, I’d see death.

Some of you may have heard about the accident this past summer resulting in the tragic death of fellow Coug, Tanya Guseva. It is a story repeated entirely too often.

This article is a journey of sharing Tanya’s story in hope of sending out a message. My life, as well as many others, has been impacted and changed forever. It hits close to home for many of us on campus. I owe this to Tanya. Let her story resonate in your heart. Be grateful, it could have easily been any one of us.

I’ll tell you right now, this is not a pleasant story. But it’s not meant to be.

The Accident:

It was Wednesday, May 20, 2009; my 22^nd birthday. Clear blue skies and forecasted to be 90 degrees out; a perfect day for the dunes. Class got out at noon. I remember grabbing my bathing suit, some beer and a few friends, and we piled into the truck with the boat towed behind. We drove to the boat launch, jumped in the boat and headed out for the dunes. It seemed to be the beginning of a perfect day.

As we pulled up to the dunes, it was very apparent the party had already started. There was an almost empty bottle of vodka, some beers, and only three people on the beach. I immediately had a bad gut feeling. The three of my friends were having a good time, or at least an inebriated one, with not a care in the world. That’s what concerned me the most. We were a good forty-five minute drive away from Pullman, with nothing but windy roads and steep cliffs. A drive that scares me in general, let alone factoring in alcohol.

Even my friends who were there said ‘Sarah, it’s as if you knew something was going to happen.’

We were only with the three of my friends, including Tanya for about an hour. They wanted to leave in time to get past the dam before it closed…

I will never forget the moment I heard “Your friends just got in an accident!” I remember thinking ‘how ironic.’ I knew from the look on the messengers face that it was bad. I ran as fast as I could through the sand dunes to the parking lot. We drove about 5 minutes to where the accident was. They didn’t even make it very far.

When we first pulled up, there was debris and glass everywhere over a span of roughly 50 yards. The vehicle was destroyed, all the windows were broken, and I couldn’t see anyone in the vehicle. All three of them had been ejected.

I looked around trying to comprehend what had happened but there were no other vehicles involved, and no poles or anything with which they could have collided. It was the only straight area of road - no curves or anything yet. The really dangerous part of the drive started further along. My initial thought was that they must have overcorrected for whatever reason and consequently flipped the vehicle.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. To make matters worse, we didn’t even have cell phone reception to call for help. My adrenaline was sky high and I kicked into “fight or flight” mode. The following hours were the worst moments of my life.

As I started running closer, I saw someone sitting up in the tall grass alongside the road. It was like a scene from a movie that will forever haunt me. It was Allison. She was soaked in blood as if someone had poured gallons of red paint overhead. She was in complete shock and disarray and obviously in pain.

I immediately took a moment to myself and prayed to God for strength and help. I knew I had to keep calm. Similar to when a child falls, they look up at their parent for a reaction. I knew that if I freaked out, she would feed off that and it would’ve made things much worse. So I assured her she was ok and told her help was on the way. I lied. Little did she know, we didn’t have phone reception. She didn’t know why she had blood everywhere and was panicking. I explained to her that she had a head wound and any head wound bleeds profusely. I told her to sit calm and not move while I went to check on the other two.

I ran about 50 yards down where I then saw my male friend who I’ll refer to as Jake. He also landed in the grass but was knocked unconscious. His lips were shaking and he was gasping for air. My initial thought was that we needed to flip him over to open his airway because he was in such a weird position. Meanwhile a Good Samaritan showed up and brought up the point that we shouldn’t move him until we knew what his injuries were. We needed to be careful in case he had any spinal injuries. While the passerby assessed his condition, I ran over to check on Tanya.

Tragically, she had landed on the cement road and also was knocked unconscious. She was gasping for air like Jake. I told her to keep fighting. Then I noticed blood from both ears. That’s when I knew she had major head trauma. I crouched down beside her and prayed. I still never thought I’d see death that day. One always wants to believe that help will get there and be able to save the day with a happy ending. Dreadfully, this story doesn’t make for, or have, a happy ending.

By the time the paramedics arrived, there was not much they could do. I remember them trying desperately to resuscitate her. When I looked over and saw them all stop, I got angry. I didn’t want them to give up. I was in denial of how bad it really was. I didn’t want to believe it. Two female paramedics tried to console me as I was in complete shock and utter hysteria.

I remember looking over my shoulder at my friend lying lifeless on the road. Then they covered her with a blanket, just like they do in the movies. Never in my life did I think this would be reality. I am not sure what overcame me but on impulse I ran over to her and collapsed by her side. I didn’t want her to be alone. I got down and embraced her with open arms and rested my head on her chest with tears rolling down my face. I prayed with her in my arms. I uncovered her face from the blanket and gently grazed her beautiful complexion with my hand and told her how much her friends and family loved her. She had a peaceful aura about her. I can’t quite describe it with words. Although I was so heartbroken, I found comfort in how beautiful and peaceful she seemed. Tears cascaded down my face. I kept saying 'I’m so sorry, Tanya...I’m so sorry...' I didn’t want to let go. I didn’t want to accept it. I wanted to think it was all just a nightmare. It was so surreal. One minute I’m laughing and smiling with her. The next, I’m faced with the harsh reality that I’ll never see her smile and laugh again. The paramedics allowed me some time with her but after a few moments pulled me away. I was so heartbroken and weak that I could hardly stand on my own.

I had so many emotions running through me. Sorrow, shock, disbelief, anguish, anger, confusion, hysteria, you name it, I experienced them all. It was such an overwhelming feeling. After Jake was airlifted and Allison was taken in the ambulance, I was left with complete emptiness. I didn’t know anyone else there besides my dead friend lying in the road covered with a blanket. It was the emptiest feeling I’ve ever had. The paramedics were worried about me because of what I had just seen and gone through, so they made me ride with them back in an ambulance. I didn’t say a word the whole way back. For 45 minutes I replayed everything that happened that day. How did this happen? I replayed it over and over in my head.

Before the Accident

I get angry and frustrated when I think about what led up to the accident. The first thing I asked the three of them when I got to the dunes was “who’s driving?” That was the very first thing I said. They shrugged it off almost as if it had never crossed their mind. This made me angry and irritated because on our way there I remember thinking how dangerous the drive was. Why didn’t they have a plan? Why didn’t they think this through?

I never stopped expressing my concern that day. In fact, my entire demeanor changed. Jake, Tanya and Allison became noticeably irritated with me. I apologized and said, ‘look, I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be a bitch, I just would feel really bad if something were to happen today.’ That was one of the last things I said to them.

Before they left, we provided them with numerous alternatives and even attempted to take their keys away. Nothing would stop them. Once a person is intoxicated, they really don’t make logical or rational decisions. To them, they were more concerned with getting past the dam before it closed, otherwise you’d have to wait until the following day when it re-opens. There is a term for this in the medical and health education field. This behavior is “alcohol myopia” or a type of "cognitive near sightedness” brought on by intoxication. My friends could focus only on the immediate and what they wanted to do right now - which was to get cross the dam before it closed. They did not have the cognitive ability to see or think about the broader picture and recognize the risks involved in driving. We tend to think we are invincible.

Tanya: Who We Lost

We lost a great girl that day. Tanya was smart and full of life. She was an adventure seeker with a free spirit. She had a big heart and a great sense of humor. She had just graduated 2 weeks before and planned on teaching English abroad. Tragically her life was cut short.

It’s sad to think about all the things she will miss out on in life. The mother and wife she will never get to be. And the family she will never get to have.

Her family is obviously extremely distraught. They will never have their daughter back. I have spoken with her mother and promised her that I would share her story and make sure something good came out of this. I want to honor Tanya and tell her story; I am trying to dignify her death.

Her friends and sorority sisters are grieving their loss as well and we are all determined to take action to honor Tanya. Her sorority sisters, Alpha Omicron Pi, are commemorating her life by creating the Tanya memorial scholarship. If you would like to contribute to this cause, they are selling anti-drinking and driving t-shirts. Also, there will be events on campus to acknowledge the risks involved in drinking and driving organized by a campus philanthropy and community outreach program called Project Give. It’s a great way to get involved and help make a difference among our campus community.

Lessons

(Invincible)

There are many things to learn from this incident. We never expect that anything bad will happen to us. We think we are invincible. I woke up that day and never expected my birthday to unfold the way it did. No one ever does.

Don’t be immature and stupid. Have a PLAN before you start drinking and follow it. Waiting until you’re drunk to make important decisions can prove deadly.

(Speak up)

Don’t let your friends drive drunk. It could save their life. Take care of each other. Watch out for each other. Even if they get mad at you. You’re doing them a favor. Wouldn’t you rather have them mad than dead? How would you feel if you let your friend drive drunk and they ended up dying or in the hospital? I know that I would feel so guilty had I not said anything and been as persistent as I was. I don’t understand why more people don’t speak up in these situations. You could be doing them a favor and saving their life. If you truly care and love the person, you will watch out for them and make that decision for them. Take their keys away. Do whatever you have to do. Any outcome is better than death. Threaten to call 911 if you have to. Offer to pay for a cab. It’s hard to object to a free ride. Saving their life is worth the extra bucks. Next time your friend gets behind the wheel ask if they would want you at their funeral. Put it into perspective. Stepping in and stopping a friend who’s impaired from driving is a true sign of friendship.

Why are there so many bystanders who say or do nothing? People don’t want to get involved. Instead, they would rather someone else do it. Someone else has to be the first, then others may join in and agree. Be that person! Don’t be a needle in the hay stack. Don’t be invisible. Step up. Be relentless in how you care for your friends. Show courage and be a person of integrity. Be a backbone in your friendship.

(Getting behind the wheel)

People who drink and get behind the wheel are upright dumb and selfish. The streets are full of fragile things, people on bikes, babies in strollers, pedestrians, dogs. How many times have you heard someone say “I’ve only had a couple drinks” or “its right down the street,’ or “I do it all the time, I’m a good drunk driver.” What about your reaction time? Regardless of how sloppy, etc. you are, that’s no excuse for the risks and dangers you are ensuing on other innocent lives as well as your own. How is this socially acceptable? Why do any of us allow this? It’s simply not worth the risk.

What will it take?

Facing the consequences of drinking and driving is something that can easily happen to any one of us unless we collectively make a conscious effort to make some changes. There was nothing out of the ordinary that day, which is why it is so scary.

 

TAKE THEIR KEYS -- We're not invincible.