The night that changed our lives forever

Braden Woodson and his truck.

By Debbie Lee

It was a typical Monday evening in October. My son, Braden Woodson, had gone to his club wrestling practice at Lawrence Elite. He loved wrestling and over there he says the coaches and teammates were like family. Braden was 16 and a few months earlier, his grandpa gave him the Chevy S-10 he (grandpa) shouldn’t drive due to medical concerns.

Braden’s practice usually got done around 8 p.m. and he was home (in Perry) by 8:15-8:20 p.m. as it was just a quick trip across Highway 24.  When my phone rang at 8:30 p.m., I instantly knew something was wrong.  The voice on the other end was Braden, telling me he was hit by a semi.

Braden was traveling west on highway 24 and as he approached the intersection of highway 24/59, he realized too late that the semi driving south on highway 59 wasn’t going to stop at the stop sign. The two vehicles collided, and the collision spun my son’s truck around, so it was now facing east in the cornfield. 

He was able to get out of his truck and went for help. Had Braden been driving the Toyota Corolla he had before the truck, the outcome would have been more devastating. The impact would have decapitated him. Fortunately, he was able to get out of his truck and went for help at the church in Williamstown. The semi driver fled the scene.

I share our story for several reasons but mostly because Braden was wearing his seat belt and I believe the seat belt saved him from being thrown from the vehicle. 

Braden was a state qualifying wrestler and had intentions of wrestling in college.  These few seconds and the truck driver’s inattentive driving stripped Braden of the one thing that brought him joy.  He loved to wrestle, yet his back muscles are messed up for life.  After a year and a half of physical therapy, including dry needling (needles inserted into the back muscles and hooked up to electricity), he is still unable to enjoy wrestling. He was never able to be a returning state wrestling qualifier.

This was the night that changed his (and my) life forever.

 

Debbie Lee is the mother of Braden Woodson