bruce munsky's car accident a story of an awakening
My accident occurred on June 2, 2006 at 8:30am in Columbia MD. This is my story of losing a lot but gaining much more at the same time. It was my last day as an Business Development Director at Veteran Communications Corporation. I was headed to the office to finish out my final day and turn in my laptop and blackberry. In two weeks I was starting a new job that would increase my income and place me in a executive level opportunity. I left my house and kissed my wife and kids good bye as I normally do. As I was driven to my office I was involved in a serious car accident. A construction crane just broke down in the middle of 175 in Columbia MD. Some how I smashed into the back of the crane going 50 miles per hour. It is similar to running into a steel wall. Too this day I do not know how I ran into the crane. I finally came to the conclusion that I will probably never know. I was going to stress myself out thinking about how it happened. My truck which was a Ford F250 diesel stake body was smashed as though it was put in a trash compactor. This truck was built like a army tank so it takes a lot to damage it. Something happened 3 days before my accident that made me realize that things in this life happen for a reason. 3 days prior to my accident my 3 year old son broke the windshield of my Oldsmobile Olds. While my car was at the repair shop it was stolen. Now, this is the car I normally drive to work everyday. I would have been driving this car on the day of my accident but it was stolen. Since it was stolen I had to drive my truck to work that day. Now that I look back at it I feel like I owe my life to my son as well as many others. Things surely do happen for a reason. If I was driven my Oldsmobile I most likely wouldn’t be writing this story right now, but I could make assumptions all day. To get back to my story. The Howard County Fire and Rescue used the jaws of life to prey me out my truck. One of the witnesses of the aftermath of the accident, who I spoke to 2 years after my accident, told me the drivers side door was pouring out blood and she was sure I was dead. Once I was out of the truck I was flown to the University of MD Shock Trauma. The helicopter crew said I was screaming for my wife, Tina. Since I don’t remember anything before or for 2 months after my accident because of my brain injuries everything I am telling you is from what I was told or what I read in my medical records. I remained at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma for a month and a half in a coma for the majority of time. For the first two weeks I was fighting for my life. My family told me that during those two weeks the doctors would tell them to come in to my room and say their goodbyes because they weren’t sure if I would make it through the operations. I had over 30 operations during my time at University of MD Shock Trauma. My injuries included a Traumatic Brain Injury in which I had a tear and bleeding in the right hemisphere of my brain, torn aorta by my heart, many torn organs including liver and pancreas,my entire body became extremely swollen, my organs and intestines were so swollen that part of my abdominal wall had to be removed, my abdominal wall was cut open so my intestines would not be constricted by the muscle and a skin graph was put over my intestines and other swollen organs to hold them in place which I kept on for over a year, due to a smashed left femur I have a metal rod in place of the femur, many screws in my right talus, some facial reconstruction because of damage to my right eye and nose, and many other injuries. During my time at University of MD Shock Trauma the doctors were telling my wife and family that they weren’t sure what my mental capacity would be if I came out of the coma and if I would ever walk again. During that time my wife told my mother and father no matter what happens to Bruce I am not going any where and she didn’t. I am so lucky to have a wife like her. There are two many wives out there that can’t take the pressure and just leave there significant other in trauma to go through it without their support. Man, I love my wife so much, Because of my traumatic brain injury I only remember leaving my house to go to work the day of my accident and the last 3 days in Kernan Rehabilitation. While in Kernan Rehabilitation I was like a new born baby. I had to learn how to talk, write, and walk again. I don’t remember this but my wife and friends told me when I started to regain consciousness I was acting schizophrenic. I was saying off the wall things and not able to recognize anyone including my wife and kids because of my brain injury. After I got out of Kernan Rehabilitation as an inpatient I received out patient rehabilitation for several months at Kernan Rehabilitation. As an outpatient I had 8 more surgeries on my abdomen and right talus. In January 2007 my family and I moved to Huntersville NC were we currently live. My wife and I had been discussing moving to Huntersville NC before my accident but prior to my accident I was to concerned with my business and career opportunity’s in MD. My accident made me realize that you only get one chance at this life and it might be short, so off to NC we went. We live in the Lake Norman area which is 10 minutes outside of Charlotte. My family and I love it here. Now that I am in NC I have a bunch of new doctors here, 7 to be exact. To sum it up and be on a more positive note. I owe my life and my recovery to all the folks who helped me during and after my accident including The Howard County Police, The Howard County Fire and Rescue, The University of MD Shock Trauma pilots and medics on the helicopter, Everyone at University of MD Shock Trauma, Kernan, all my doctors and surgeons in NC, and to my loving family and friends. If you saw me today you would never guess in a million years what I’ve been through. I am thankful to be alive and be able to enjoy my awesome family. There are many reasons why I joined the trauma survivors support group and became a peer visitor but the main one is I want to be able to help trauma patients and their families get through the trauma experience and be supportive to them in their time of need. Support is a huge part of the recovery process. RECOVERY IS A PUZZLE AND SUPPORT IS A BIG PART THAT PUZZLE. I love life and I am happy to still be here. Thanks for reading my story.
