By Paul MeinckePosted on 05/31/2006 2:55:03 PM PDT by Yossarian
By Paul MeinckeMay 31, 2006 (Last Updated: 4:07:05 PM) - Relief for one family, sadness for another as they realize a terrible mistake was made involving two Indiana college students who were in a crash last month. It's a gut-wrenching case of mistaken identity.
The family of Whitney Cerak was told she died in that crash. Her family just learned Cerak is actually emerging from a coma in a Michigan hospital, and her friend, believed to be in that hospital bed, actually is the one who died.
This is more pain on top of a horrible tragedy. One set of parents who had buried their daughter now discover that she is alive. Another mother and father who spent night and day at the bedside of a badly injured young woman they thought was their daughter now discover there has been a misidentification.
The accident occurred over a month ago near Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Four students and a Taylor University food services employee were killed when their van was hit by a tractor trailer. Its driver lost control of his rig after apparently falling asleep at the wheel.
One of the students pronounced dead at the scene was Whitney Cerak, 18, of Gaylord, Michigan. The lone survivor -- who was only semi-conscious until recently -- was thought to be 22-year-old Laura Van Ryn of Caledonia, Michigan. Two young ladies -- good friends -- with very similar physical characteristics.
It is not clear who made the formal identifications at the scene of the accident and later, but as the survivor began to regain full consciousness in a Grand Rapids hospital, the Van Ryn family discovered that the badly injured young woman they thought was their daughter was in fact Whitney Cerak.
"She had said a couple of things that led them to believe that maybe this wasn't their daughter. And so they approached us yesterday afternoon with these concerns," said Bruce Rossman, Spectrum health media manager.
Hospital officials say that police and the families had made ID's and there was no reason to doubt them. After the Van Ryn family alerted the hospital, a forensic dental exam was performed and the survivor was identified as Whitney Cerak. She had been badly injured and physically disfigured in the crash, but there had been no earlier fingerprinting or dental records checks on the victims.
"You have to pretty much take families at their word. And it's just one of those situations. And I don't know if there is an easy answer that can be resolved with a new rule or a new procedure," said Rossman.
Taylor University is an evangelical Christian college in Indiana. The families and friends of the victims have drawn strength from their faith.
Laura Van Ryn's family issued a written statement saying "it is a sorrow and a joy for us to learn of this turn of events." They say they will "mourn Laura's going home but rejoice with the Ceraks that they will have more time on earth with their daughter," and they also rejoice in the recovery she has made.
The others killed in the crash are students Elizabeth A. Smith, 22, of Mount Zion, Ill.; Bradley J. Larson, 22, Elm Grove, Wis.; Laurel Erb, of St. Charles, Ill.; and Taylor University employee Monica Felver, 53, of Hartford City, Ind.
The group worked for the university's dining service. They were headed back to the Upland, Ind., campus after setting up for a catering job at the Fort Wayne campus.
Between the fact they look much alike, and the effects of a horrific crash, I can somewhat understand a mix-up happening. I'd still want police and rescue officials to review their procedures to make sure everything was handled as best as could be done.
Horrific for the families involved, especially the poor parents who thought their daughter to be alive all this time. This happened a while back with a couple of young men I believe. Prayers for all those involved.
Yes, those two families, as well as the other families who lost sons & daughters in that huge crash, need prayers.
Taylor University is an evangelical Christian college in Indiana. The families and friends of the victims have drawn strength from their faith.
If you go to the blog page for Laura (http://lauravanryn.blogspot.com), you can see that the family is indeed relying on faith to pull them through. Something everyone can learn from in the midst of this tragedy.
Wow
my cousin told me of a similar occurrence that actually happened to a friend of his in Iraq. their convoy hit an IED and everyone in the Humvee was declared dead when the medics arrived. their parents were contacted and told about the bad news. Later, they found him alive in a ditch; he had been thrown from the vehicle. So as soon as he could, he called his mother, who had thought he was dead. Some emotional rollercoaster that would be!
I am skeptical about the story though, because I'm not sure how quickly they notify family, and also, they should have known something was up when they didnt recover a body. I guess it is possible, but highly unlikely.
Anyway, prayers for those recovering from this horrible accident.
Yes, they had a funeral and buried the other family's daughter. I would think they will have the body exhumed, nex casket etc, and have another funeral. Terrible situation. I can't imagine being bedside for so long and have the "wrong" answers coming from the girl you thought was your daughter, then come to the realization of the horrible mix-up. Prayers for all of the victims.
I am skeptical about the story though, because I'm not sure how quickly they notify family, and also, they should have known something was up when they didnt recover a body. I guess it is possible, but highly unlikely.
There are times were there is not much left of a person to recover when explosives are involved.
Prayers for all of the friends and families of Laura and Whitney.
yeah, I thought about that. true.
prayers indeed.
I can't fathom it.
OMG, That blog is gut-wrenching.
Wow, can you image how hard it would be to slowly come to the realization that it wasn't your daughter in the hospital bed and what that meant. I would guess at first they thought she was confused and not yet herself.
From the blog, that's what it appears. They just thought she was saying things that didn't make sense (which would be normal for somebody emerging from a coma.)
From May 25 -- It seems like she's trying to talk more and tell us things as well - a lot of which it can still be difficult to understand, but she's trying.
From May 26 -- As far as recognizing us... we think that sometimes she does, and sometimes she doesn't. Today she was asking for "my Dad" by name and when he went over to her and held her hand, she was satisfied to have him there.
From May 28 -- It also seems that Laura, over the past couple of days, is becoming more aware and alert. Yesterday when she woke from a deep sleep, she seemed a little more taken back by her surroundings and wondered where she was. She has also said a few complete sentences and is getting better at letting us know what her needs are. We're hopeful that as her communication skills continue to improve, this will cut down on her frustration levels as well.
From May 29 -- Laura slept through the night again and we're glad for that. :) Her clarity continues to improve. Earlier today she played a game of "connect 4" with one of the therapists and did quite well. At the facility there are several doors that say "Alarm will sound if door is opened". Talking a walk down the hallway they happened to pass one of these doors and when Aryn asked her if she could read what it said, Laura read it perfectly to him. While certain things seem to be coming back to her, she still has times where she'll say things that don't make much sense.
From May 31 -- Our hearts are aching as we have learned that the young woman we have been taking care of over the past five weeks has not been our dear Laura, but instead a fellow Taylor student of hers, Whitney Cerak. . . . Over the past couple of days, as Whitney had been becoming more aware of her surroundings, she'd been saying and doing some things that made us question whether or not she was Laura.
Yeah, I was reading the blog to, and what you bolded on the 29th jumped out to me also...they must really have been wondering by then.
Poor girl may have wondered if she was really more confused than she thought, when EVERYONE was confused.
What a bond these families will share now, especially as Laura's family and friends (even just from the blog) have been so closely following who they now know is Whitney.
Wow.
Praying God continues to give them all strength for each moment.
Wow
I can't even imagine...just terrible...
Her "not making much sense" may well have affected the doctors' and therapists' assessment of her cognitive function. Quite likely, some of the things that were "not making much sense" were things like asking Laura's parents "Where are my parents?" If one was assuming that the people she was talking to actually WERE her parents, a question like that would suggest that her mind was still utterly unreliable and/or that she was suffering from severe amnesia. And of course, since she clearly was in a lot of physical distress, as well as a bit foggy mentally, it probably would have taken her quite a while to catch on to the fact that these people thought she was someone else. If you're in a hospital after clearly suffering severe injuries and nobody's asking you who you are, you'd assume they know, and wouldn't be likely to announce your identity. The good news is that she's probably suffered a lot less brain damage than it initially appeared.
I know Laura's family through Upper Peninsula Bible Camp in Michigan. They are all incredible people. Words cannot express the numbness I've been feeling for them all day.
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