Savannah Shaw smiles while wearing her neck brace following an ATV accident in January.

by Brandi Miller for the FCT

There’s an old saying that life can turn on a dime. Until you’ve lived through a life altering event, the saying is just words that you’ve probably heard at some point and never really thought about that much.

For the Shaw family, January 24 was the day their life turned on a dime and a day they will never forget.

That Saturday started like any other for freshman Savannah Shaw and her friend, also a freshman, Brooke Shewbart.  The pair were staying with Savannah’s aunt and uncle, Ronnie and Anna Wooten, while Savannah’s parents were away on a cruise.  Around 5 p.m. that afternoon, Savannah and Brooke decided to take a ride on the trails in the woods on the Wooten’s ranger, and off road vehicle.  The ride turned tragic and the Shaw’s have no doubt God had his protective hand on Savannah.

While Savannah and Brooke were riding, they had a horrific wreck when Savannah, who was driving, went from asphalt to gravel causing her to lose control of the ranger.  Savannah was thrown from the vehicle and it flipped several times, eventually coming to a stop on Shaw’s leg.  Shewbart was not thrown from the ranger and when it came to a stop she was hanging by her seatbelt at an almost upside down angle.

“I was so scared,” said Shewbart.  “I knew Savannah was hurt bad, but I didn’t know how bad.

“She kept crying and asking me how bad it was and I kept saying it was just a scratch because I didn’t know what else to say.  I didn’t want her to panic.”

Shewbart was able to get Savannah’s phone and call Savannah’s Uncle Ronnie.  Since Shewbart was not familiar with the area and they were in a wooded place she couldn’t tell Ronnie exactly where they were located.  A hunter by the name of Lavon Wilhite came along and was able to get the ranger off of Shaw and stayed with the girls until Ronnie could get there.  The Vina Rescue Squad quickly responded and helped stabilize Savannah and direct the helicopter landing, which was imperative because of the extent of Savannah’s injuries.

The helicopter flew Savannah from Vina to Tupelo, Miss.  While in Tupelo Shaw underwent a CT scan, a full body scan, and had her leg placed in a splint.  Her parents were still on the cruise and not able to be with her.

“As a parent, one of the worst calls you will ever receive is the call that your child has been in an accident,” said Susie Shaw.  “To not be close enough to get to them is a heart-wrenching feeling.

“As they explained Savannah’s injuries to us, we knew they were serious and we needed to be where she was. We spoke with the staff, our work family at NMMC (North Mississippi Medical Center), and were assured they would take good care of her. We can never say enough about the people that were working that night.  Everyone was so good to Savannah all the while on the phone with us keeping us updated with everything going on.”

Once Savannah received some pain medication and was stable, she was flown to LeBonner Children’s Hospital in Memphis.  Savannah had suffered scalping, which is a condition where the skin on her head was pulled off her skull, a C-2 break in her neck, shifted C-6 and C-5 bones, broken left collar bone, four broken ribs, a punctured lung, a ruptured bladder, breaks to both pelvis bones, road rash over her entire body, and an open tib-fib fracture which means the bone was out of the skin.

She underwent surgery that night on her leg and head to begin to repair some of the most immediate life-threatening injuries.  She was forced to lay flat on her back from that Saturday until Thursday because of the broken bones in her neck.  She had her second surgery on Thursday—one that was to repair the damage in her neck.

In total, Savannah has a neck brace she will be wearing for 6-12 weeks, a boot she wore for eight weeks and 86 staples throughout her body.  She also has a metal rod in her leg and a metal plate in her neck that will never be removed.

“We have been given so much love and support during this time that I could never begin to mention everyone that reached out to us,” said Susie Shaw.  “For every act of kindness, every gift, every prayer, every thought sent our way we can never thank you all enough.

“We are so blessed to have such a good community to live in.  A wonderful church and work family and most of all our families for being there in this time of need.  God has truly blessed us.”

Savannah is an active girl and is a member of the Red Bay Lady Tiger basketball and track teams.  While she had to cut her basketball season short this year and cut out track altogether this season, she is expected to make a full recovery.

“I’ve heard a lot of people say that I was lucky and I don’t think I am lucky, I know I am blessed,” said Shaw.  “I can’t even begin to thank everybody for everything that they have done for me.  I have had so many people send me flowers, letters, meals, and other stuff.  It means so much to me.”

Savannah is still wearing a neck brace and has more therapy in her future.  She has shown that she is a fighter over and over again.  Her determined spirit and hard work to get where she once was is an inspiration for everyone.  There is no doubt this horrible accident is something she or her family will never forget, but you can bet it will not be something that will permanently define Savannah’s future.