Irvin's Road Accident

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Imagine a small boy looking out the window, who was riding passenger on his Godmothers lap unaware of the danger that awaited… in that split second his life changed forever. It was the time of year when three-year old Irvin traditionally went to visit his family out of country. During a car ride in Gurrero, Mexico, Irvin was sitting on his Godmothers lap when life suddenly flashed before his eyes, his family would've never been able to plan for what was coming… The vehicle Irvin was riding in was in a head-on collision, and Irvin was launched face first out of the front windshield and landed approximately thirty feet away. When Irvin was found he was unconscious with several broken bones and had a large laceration wound from skull, leading …show more content…

The accident was caused by a vehicle that police officials were pursuing who happened to turn into oncoming traffic and struck the vehicle Irvin was in head-on. The man in the opposite vehicle was pronounced dead on site and as for Irvin’s family they were lucky enough to be treated for a few broken bones and minor injuries. As for Irvin, he was not so lucky, the impact immediately broke his ribs, jaw, nose, and fractured his skull and left a huge wound on his face that caused him to need facial reconstruction surgery. Irvin was not seat belted and did not have proper protection in this type of an impact, therefore he was ejected face first from the vehicle, where he was found about thirty feet away from the crash site unconscious by the police officers who witnessed the accident and rushed him to the nearest hospital. The doctors attempted to stop the bleeding and save this child who was now in a coma, they were unable to reconstruct his face and just applied sutures for the time being. Although not all motor vehicle accidents result in fatality they can highly impact a persons’ life, not only physically but mentally as well. The Epidemiology of Child Motor Vehicle Crash Injuries and Fatalities study found, “Children represent 10-15% of overall traffic fatalities. Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death and disability for children and young adults.” It is important to always …show more content…

Irvin was flown to California where he met his mother and doctors performed several surgeries. Irvin had no feeling in his face and was unable to eat due to the severe trauma around his mouth. Irvin was in physical therapy for several years, and during that time he learned basic skills that came easy to other children. Irvin had approximately 7 laser and plastic surgeries on his face, therefore he basically lived in the hospital till the age of four. When Irvin was old enough to enroll in school it did not get easier for him, he endured severe bullying and treated like an outcast by his most of his peers. Experts who’ve evaluate the psychological effect following maxillofacial trauma states, “The face is often the seat of recognition for all human beings and living with a change in appearance of one’s face, as a result of an injury, disease, burns, or trauma is always a challenging task. Various medical, personal, social and psychological variables influence the process of adaptation.” Irvin’s life had been far from easy up to this point and he just wanted to feel normal, therefore his mother began enlisting him in program for children who have suffered serious facial disfigurements.

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