deide71
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2005
- Messages
- 1,669
We just returned from our 4th trip to Disneyworld. This was planned as the Lalapalooza trip. Nine nights (3 @SSR (saving points for a trip in November, 1@CR (DS 5 birthday celebration) and the remainder @ a rented villa in the Emerald Isle resort.
Tee times were booked, ADR's were made, and daily plans were mapped out with great care.
The first 3 days went off with out a hitch. SSR was lovely, Epcot was so fun, and dinners were hectic, but enjoyable.
THe Morning of March 28th started fine. We packed up and left our villa at SSR without any problem. We were all very excited to check into the Contemporary for the first time. My 5 year old son is a train nut. He absolutely adores the Monorail, so this stay was part of his Birthday present. The plan was to check in, park, and walk to the Magic Kingdom. We would return at midday for swimming and rest, dine at Chef Mickey's and go back to the MK for the parade and fireworks that evening.
Check in went fine. The CM manning the desk was very sweet. Parking was no problem. We couldn't believe how close we were to the Magic Kingdom. We loaded up the backpack and proceeded to walk to our destination...this is where everything went so horribly wrong.
On the walkway to the Magic Kingdom you reach a crosswalk, crossing a very busy road. We stopped for traffic, but my five year old son was so excited...he ran out into the road, and was struck by a car going about 30mph.
Words cannot express the horror I felt when I saw him. I remember my husband screaming his name out in terror. I remember My son turning away from the car too late. I remember seeing him struck by the car with such force he flew into the air and out of his shoes. I remember my husband running to his limp body and cradling him. I remember calling out to the growing crowd "Call 911" over and over again.
I work in healthcare at a trauma center, and suddenly my emergency assessment skills hit me. A woman in the crowd was a nurse told us to lay him flat on the ground until the Paramedics got there. I knew she was right. After we laid him down I noticed he was unconscious, but breathing. Within a minute he was wimpering, and moving all four extremities. I knew this was a good sign.
The paramedics arrived very quickly. They cut off his clothes to inspect him. He has some minor road rash. He was crying louder now. They placed him on a backboard and put a cervical collar on him. We were in the rig within minutes. They were very good. Once we got in the ambulance I implored them to take us to a level one trauma center. They assured me we were going to a very good facility. On the way to Orlando Regional Medical center they placed my baby on a monitor and started an IV. His vitals were stable throughout the trip, and he was alert, but lethargic.
Upon our arrival at the hospital my son was wheeled into the trauma area where a team of people were waiting for us. The assessed him quickly, took a series of X-rays and got him to the Cat scanner very quickly.
The results of the Cat scan showed a skull fracture and an epidural hematoma. The ER attending physician consulted with a pediatric neurosurgeon, the decision was made to take him to surgery at nearby Arnold Palmer Children's hospital.
Tee times were booked, ADR's were made, and daily plans were mapped out with great care.
The first 3 days went off with out a hitch. SSR was lovely, Epcot was so fun, and dinners were hectic, but enjoyable.
THe Morning of March 28th started fine. We packed up and left our villa at SSR without any problem. We were all very excited to check into the Contemporary for the first time. My 5 year old son is a train nut. He absolutely adores the Monorail, so this stay was part of his Birthday present. The plan was to check in, park, and walk to the Magic Kingdom. We would return at midday for swimming and rest, dine at Chef Mickey's and go back to the MK for the parade and fireworks that evening.
Check in went fine. The CM manning the desk was very sweet. Parking was no problem. We couldn't believe how close we were to the Magic Kingdom. We loaded up the backpack and proceeded to walk to our destination...this is where everything went so horribly wrong.
On the walkway to the Magic Kingdom you reach a crosswalk, crossing a very busy road. We stopped for traffic, but my five year old son was so excited...he ran out into the road, and was struck by a car going about 30mph.
Words cannot express the horror I felt when I saw him. I remember my husband screaming his name out in terror. I remember My son turning away from the car too late. I remember seeing him struck by the car with such force he flew into the air and out of his shoes. I remember my husband running to his limp body and cradling him. I remember calling out to the growing crowd "Call 911" over and over again.
I work in healthcare at a trauma center, and suddenly my emergency assessment skills hit me. A woman in the crowd was a nurse told us to lay him flat on the ground until the Paramedics got there. I knew she was right. After we laid him down I noticed he was unconscious, but breathing. Within a minute he was wimpering, and moving all four extremities. I knew this was a good sign.
The paramedics arrived very quickly. They cut off his clothes to inspect him. He has some minor road rash. He was crying louder now. They placed him on a backboard and put a cervical collar on him. We were in the rig within minutes. They were very good. Once we got in the ambulance I implored them to take us to a level one trauma center. They assured me we were going to a very good facility. On the way to Orlando Regional Medical center they placed my baby on a monitor and started an IV. His vitals were stable throughout the trip, and he was alert, but lethargic.
Upon our arrival at the hospital my son was wheeled into the trauma area where a team of people were waiting for us. The assessed him quickly, took a series of X-rays and got him to the Cat scanner very quickly.
The results of the Cat scan showed a skull fracture and an epidural hematoma. The ER attending physician consulted with a pediatric neurosurgeon, the decision was made to take him to surgery at nearby Arnold Palmer Children's hospital.
And you are right, we take so much time worrying about all the things we are going to do in Disney we forget the things that are really important to us sometimes. Again I am so glad to see him smiling in that last pic, you truly had me almost in tears reading your story.
and it takes these things to realise how precious they are.
thumbsup2 ) and my heart began pounding as I read your story! How absolutely awful for you all. But how amazing that it turned out ok in the end, and a horrible tragedy was avoided. I am so glad that your son is going to be all right, and that the right people were there at the right time to make sure he would be. 
from my family to yours
