Families cope with wreck

Sometimes, life disguises itself as an apple cobbler. Amanda Gutierrez, who was injured in the Dec. 27 accident involving five current and former Stanwood High School students, can attest to this. She cooked one up Thursday, in physical therapy.

Friday night, Gutierrez went home for a “trial run,” returning to the hospital Saturday morning.

Gutierrez was ejected from the vehicle that killed driver Mason Derrick. The L1 vertebra in her back broke, and she suffered spinal cord damage that hindered her mobility.

She’s recovering though, and the apple cobbler proves that.

Originally taken to a Providence Medical Center in Everett, Gutierrez was later transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. She underwent surgery to fuse the broken vertebra to the ones above and below it, and began the recovery process.

Gutierrez transferred to Seattle Children’s Hospital last Tuesday, where she continues to stride, literally, toward healing.

“She’s learning to walk again,” her mom, Lucinda Gutierrez, said.

Amanda is using a walker for balance, and her left leg is weaker than her right. She needs help getting in and out of beds and chairs, but “she’s very determined to get better,” her mom said.

“She gets frustrated,” she continued, “but she’s been very assertive about her care, discussing with doctors what’s best for her. ”H

er mom said doctors are hoping to discharge Gutierrez on Thursday, when the family’s insurance will no longer cover her hospital stay.

Two of the other accident victims, Justin Lindsey and Kelsey Baird, have also been discharged. They were released in time to attend Mason Derrick’s memorial service Jan. 9.

Ryan Otero, however, remains in intensive care at Harborview.

Susan Gregg-Hanson, spokeswoman for Harborview’s patient information center, said Otero’s in serious condition.

According to the blog set up by his family, when Otero was ejected from the vehicle, he suffered pelvic and facial fractures, a fractured C6 vertebra in his neck, swelling and hemorrhaging in his brain.

One of his lungs partially collapsed, and he’s been fighting pneumonia and breathing with the help of a ventilator.

Otero underwent four surgeries to fuse three vertebrae in his neck. Doctors are planning a fifth procedure. He also needed pins in his pelvis, and portions of his skull were removed to accommodate the brain’s swelling.

Otero has recently been sitting in a more upright position, aided by a special chair, but he must wear a helmet when he’s out of his hospital bed.

Initial neurological exams indicated extensive brain injury, but Otero’s family is excited that he’s recently been moving his left arm. He also seems to be at least partially aware of people’s presence in the room, and their voices.

The families of Gutierrez and Otero expressed thanks for the support of friends, family and community.

Gutierrez cares about her friends who were in the vehicle, and she misses Mason, her mom said.

As the families cope with the aftermath of the wreck, the community’s continued support will be appreciated.

Otero’s family set up the Ryan Otero Benefit Account at Wells Fargo, and updates on Otero’s condition can be accessed at http://www. caringbridge.org/visit/ryanotero.

Gutierrez can be supported through the Amanda Family Fund at Bank of America, and updates on her recovery are posted at http://www.caringbridge. org/visit/amandagutierrez.

Staff Reporter Jeremiah O’Hagan: 629-8066 ext. 125 or ohagan@scnews. com.