Taylor Overcomes Life-Threatening Crash with Extraordinary Recovery

Nineteen-year-old Dakota Taylor was driving home last November after a full day of classes and work in Scottsbluff. Around 9 p.m., she texted her mother that she was headed home. The next thing she remembers is waking up in a hospital bed with multiple severe injuries after her car hit the pillar of the Mitchell overpass.

Fortunately, Dakota was wearing an Apple watch that detected the crash, alerting 911 immediately. Regional West’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) team arrived on the scene and gave Dakota whole blood before arriving at Regional West. Since launching Nebraska’s first EMS whole blood program, Regional West has seen firsthand the meaningful impact that rapid access to blood can have on patient outcomes like Dakota’s.

“My watch was pretty much a lifesaver,” Dakota said.

Dakota spent the week after her accident in an induced coma before being transferred to UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colorado. Her injuries were extensive – she suffered a traumatic brain injury with a skull fracture, a shattered femur, a broken ball joint in her hip, punctured and collapsed lungs, broken ribs, and a broken nose. Dakota faced another hurdle; she suffered a stroke during her accident, leading to further rehabilitation. 

She faced her recovery with resilience, feeling grateful to have regained use of her affected side.

“On top of my leg injuries and everything else, I had to rehabilitate my hands and my right arm. Even though I can’t use my right side perfectly like I could before, I feel like I really dodged a bullet.” 

Dakota continues to focus on healing and has made remarkable strides in her recovery. She has a new lease on life and encourages others to safely enjoy their life’s journey to the fullest. She doesn’t remember much about her accident, but the care she received from Regional West’s EMS team has made a positive impact.

“Not remembering is hard, but I’m here. That means they did a great job.”