Kaity Schultz is facing a long road to recovery after a massive tree crashed onto her SUV, leaving the Indiana mother with catastrophic spinal injuries
Credit: GoFundMe
NEED TO KNOW
- An Indiana mother suffered catastrophic spinal injuries after a massive tree crashed onto her SUV while she was driving
- Kaity Schultz said she had just dropped off her 4-year-old son at daycare moments before the accident
- Schultz’s family says she is now facing a long recovery that could include months of intensive rehabilitation
What started as an ordinary morning routine quickly turned into a life-changing ordeal for one Indiana mother.
Kaity Schultz of La Porte, Ind., is recovering from severe spinal injuries after a massive tree crashed onto her SUV while she was driving earlier this month, according to authorities and local reports.
Schultz, 37, was driving her 2012 GMC Acadia northbound on Fail Road when “a large tree located off the west side of Fail Road fell to the east and on top of the woman's vehicle,” according to the La Porte County Sheriff's Office. Authorities said she became trapped inside the SUV before emergency crews extricated her from the driver's seat and airlifted her to a regional hospital for advanced treatment.
The crash came just weeks after Schultz lost her mother following a battle with lung cancer, according to a GoFundMe created on behalf of Schultz and her family. Organizers described Schultz as a devoted mother, wife and longtime nanny who has “spent her life caring for others.”
“Only three weeks ago, Kaity lost her mother after a difficult battle with lung cancer,” the fundraiser states. “While still mourning her mom and trying to hold her family together, tragedy struck again in a devastating and life-altering way.”
Emergency crews spent nearly two hours freeing Schultz from the wreckage after the tree pinned her inside the vehicle, according to the GoFundMe. Organizers said she suffered “catastrophic spinal injuries” and underwent a six-hour spinal surgery after being airlifted to the hospital.
“At this time, Kaity has lost all feeling and movement from the waist down,” the fundraiser states.
Schultz's husband, Chris Schultz, told CBS News Chicago that he was across the country when he first learned about the accident.
Credit: GoFundMe
“All I knew was just that a tree had fallen. She was bleeding, and then they airlifted her and she was going into surgery. So I was, like, instantly on a flight,” he said.
“They brought a lift. It was like a 10,000-pound lift that they got three inches to get her out eventually,” Chris said while describing the rescue effort.
Doctors relieved pressure on Schultz's spinal cord, though the damage was severe, according to CBS News.
“Walking's not … it's a low chance, but it's not impossible. So we're just waiting to hopefully get into rehab soon,” Chris told the outlet.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding her recovery, Schultz said she is trying to stay optimistic.
“I'm going to work really hard to get back home to my family and my work family,” Schultz said from her hospital bed in South Bend during her interview with CBS News. “It feels fantastic to know I have a million supporters behind me. You don't realize until you get into a situation how much of an impact you make on people.”
The emotional toll has also been difficult for the couple's 4-year-old son, JT, according to Chris.
“He's like, 'When is mom coming home?' It's like, 'Well, soon, hopefully,' but I don't know if he fully understands it,” Chris told the outlet.
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“When he sees me in the hospital it worries him, but he sees my booboos on my head going away, so he knows I'm going to get better, and that's what we keep talking about,” Schultz added.
Schultz has since been moved out of the intensive care unit and is awaiting transfer to intensive rehabilitation, CBS News reported. Her family said she could spend several weeks in rehab before continuing outpatient therapy.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Schultz family for comment.
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