Renaye’s Story
June 2012
Life was going great. Renaye Wade had graduated from high school and was upgrading to go to Grant MacEwan College to begin her journey to become a lawyer. She worked part time as an assistant manager at McDonalds and loved to dance in her spare time.
March 15, 2013
Renaye was the passenger in a stalled vehicle on the Yellowhead Trail that was struck from behind by a distracted driver. This sent the vehicle Renaye was in into the path of a semi, which ended up hitting her car door. The vehicle was so damaged that the paramedics didn’t even notice Renaye at first. It took the fire department and paramedics 25 minutes to rescue her from the wreckage. The fire department called it a difficult extraction…
The Aftermath & Recovery
Renaye was unconscious at the scene and spent the next 34 days in a coma. She suffered a diffuse axonal brain injury. Similar to “Shaken Baby Syndrome,” the axonal cables in her brain that tell the body what to do were sheared from going from fast to suddenly stopping. Renaye also suffered a broken jaw in two places, and a cracked pelvis and tailbone. After Renaye came out of the coma, she had to relearn how to do everything…
Renaye had to relearn how to move every part of her body. Her left side remains compromised. She has also lost about 2 and a half years worth of memories, as well as other difficulties and issues.
Renaye spent 481 days in 4 hospitals to recover. Starting in 2017 up until February of 2018, Renaye had 5 surgeries to repair her jaw, with still more orthodontic work to come. She is still undergoing therapy and could continue for years if not a lifetime. Renaye has been left with a lifelong injury.
The Verdict
The driver that struck Renaye pleaded guilty in court to careless driving and received the maximum fine of $2000 and 6 demerits. Statistics are showing very high collision rates for distracted driving. Times have changed. Technologies have changed. It is time for our laws to keep up with our technology!
This could happen to your mother, father, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa, child, or spouse. It could happen to you…IT HAPPENED TO RENAYE!!!
Presentations
RADD believes in bringing awareness and education to our new drivers. We give a 40 minute presentation which is a combination of video and speech given by Renaye on her journey and how distracted driving has changed her life.