Published: May 09, 2008 11:21 pm            

Crash changes teenager’s life

Family struggles after car accident leaves son with life-long disabilities

Kyle Zimmerman is lucky to be alive.

The 17-year-old suffered multiple broken bones, facial fractures and a traumatic brain injury when the car he was in crashed into a Cadillac on May 1, 2007.

The crash killed the driver of the Cadillac, David Wilson, 53, Marion, and left Kokomo’s Zimmerman suffering from life-threatening injuries.

“It’s been a long road,” Zimmerman’s mother, Cathy Burton, said of his recovery. “We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, and we still have a long road ahead of us.”

After the crash, Zimmerman was flown to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where he remained for 16 weeks in a coma.

Since then, Zimmerman has been in and out of the hospital.

“He remembers some of it,” she said of the deadly crash. “But he doesn’t talk a whole lot. His face and throat were both crushed. He’s really lucky to be alive. [Physicians] told me it’s a miracle he’s still alive.”

Zimmerman returned home from the hospital in April, but he’s still unable to walk, among many other things, she said.

“They gave us really depressing news — he’ll probably be like this the rest of his life. This has really changed his life and our life,” she said.

The once-active athlete now is virtually bed-ridden.

“He cannot walk and can hardly talk,” his mother said. “He lays in his bed most of the time. He can get in a wheelchair for part of the time, but not for very long. He liked playing football, basketball – our lives are totally ruined. It’s like taking care of a newborn. He can’t do anything. We can’t leave him alone. My husband can’t even work.”

The crash

Zimmerman was one of three passengers in a car driven by Susan Vaux, 21, who now faces a charge of criminal recklessness for allegedly causing the crash.

Howard County Sheriff Marty Talbert said Vaux was traveling at speeds “approaching triple digits” when she blew a stop sign at the intersection of 600 East and 400 North in Howard County and crashed into the Cadillac.

Vaux suffered a fractured left leg, fractured left wrist, broken ribs and multiple lacerations in the crash.

The other passengers in the car — 17-year-olds Aubrey Weatherly and April Nelson — suffered minor injuries in the crash.

The charges brought against Vaux were the result of data recovered from a sensing diagnostic module similar to a black box on a airplane showed Vaux’s car was speeding, according to police.

Detectives used data from the box, along with statements from the surviving accident victims, to put together their case against Vaux.

She faces a Class C felony charge of reckless homicide, a Class D felony charge of criminal recklessness, and two misdemeanor criminal recklessness charges. She was arrested, processed and released after posting 10 percent of a $15,000 bail April 11. A jury trial is set for Aug. 12.

If convicted, she could face up to eight years in prison on the C felony, a punishment Burton said would be too lenient.

“I’m not happy,” she said. “She should have got more [charges]. It killed our best friend.”

        

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