As Loretta Hightower was returning to Newnan from a trip to Macon, she was t-boned off Interstate 75 at the Route 16 exit. Sadly, Hightower suffered multiple injuries in this Georgia motor vehicle accident that occurred in December 2012. According to authorities, she was taken to Atlanta Medical Center by Life Flight following the accident and spent weeks in the hospital trying to regain strength after being on a respirator for nearly a month.
While she was in the hospital, she developed a condition called Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome that required a tracheotomy and respirator to save her life. This is a rare condition that occurs in adults with traumatic injuries, and Hightower sustained multiple serious injuries. Her accident-related injuries included a fractured hip, crushed pelvis, torn kidney, bruised spleen, collapsed lung, and broken ribs.
The hospital attempted to remove Hightower’s respirator but failed. When she was moved to a rehabilitation hospital, they were successful in removing her respirator—about a month after her accident. As her condition stabilized, Hightower learned to talk again, walk again, and get her strength back. She has since been in physical therapy and just started using a bicycle in her therapy at Roosevelt Warm Springs Rehabilitation Hospital.
Hightower returned home on February 28, 2013, but is still going through physical therapy. According to Dr. Freed, “It often takes a year for patients to recover from injuries like Hightower received.”
Shane Smith Law is glad to hear that Loretta Hightower is on the road to recovery, and we wish her a full and fast recovery.