Tina Lyon-Adams has no memory of the day that changed her life.
The 20-year-old first year police technology student at John Abbott College was jogging with a friend near her home on June 12 when a speeding car struck them both. While the friend suffered only sprained ankles, Lyon-Adams had a fractured spine, cracked skull, internal bleeding, punctured lungs and injuries to her hips, pelvis and legs. She was kept in a medically induced coma for six days due to the severity of her injuries.
“A lot of people didn’t think I was going to make it,” she said. “Like, firefighters at the scene didn’t think I was going to survive because of how badly injured I was… The doctors told me it was one of the worst things that they ever operated on.”
When she woke up, she worried that she had crashed a car or that her dog, whom she normally jogs with but who did not come with her on that day, was also hurt.
Lyon-Adams transferred to a rehab centre on the South Shore earlier this week. She said she was crying in pain when she first got there, but that despite not knowing when or if she’ll walk again, the support of her parents and friends has kept her hopeful.
“I’m doing really good right now compared to before,” she said. “Before, I wasn’t even able to sit down. So I’m taking it day by day and getting better and noticing the difference.”
Jordan Taylor, the 24-year-old driver who was allegedly behind the wheel, faces charges of drunk driving and leaving the scene.
