Freshman Survives Scary Car Crash

Northwest Academy freshman Isabella Roby and her family were sent to the hospital last month after a car crash during a family road trip through Washington D.C. and Florida. Roby and her family totaled their rental car after colliding with an SUV.

“We pulled into a small town called Titusville in Florida to grab a bite to eat,” Roby said. “While driving straight, a lady was pulling out of an inside road. We tried to brake but it didn’t matter at that point. We hit her car and then our car swerved off two lanes, landing in a ditch.”

Although Roby and her mother, Tracy, were relatively uninjured, her father, Joseph, suffered fractured ribs and sternum after being thrown against his seat belt. Joseph was transferred to Holmes hospital in Titusville, Florida for further medical treatment.

“After the crash, my mom and I made it to the sidewalk and my dad went to lay down in the grass, only feet from the car,” Roby said, “I tried to call an ambulance but my hands were shaking too much and I forgot how to properly call. Someone nearby called for help.”

Tracy suffered from similar shock after the accident.

“In the moment of the crash, I didn’t feel anything,” she said. “My mind went blank, I didn’t feel fear or anger, I couldn’t process it. When I saw my daughter bleeding and her injuries, that’s when I felt worried.”

According to Tracy, maternal instinct kicked in as she saw her daughter’s injuries.

“When I was able to get out of the car, I ran to help her,” she said. “She was covered in blood, but she seemed to be fine. When the ambulance came, I came out of my shock”.

The family canceled the rest of their trip after the accident.

The transition back to school life has been difficult for Roby.

“It felt weird because nothing else had changed back home, whereas I had just experienced such a traumatic event,” Roby said. “I was scared of talking to my classmates in fear that I might end up crying for no particular reason.

Roby said she is slowly adjusting to life back at Northwest Academy.

“It may take some time to get over the car crash,” she said. “But I felt really supported by my teachers and classmates.”