Crash survivor thanks UH doctor who helped save her life
Sadie Summa recently returned to University Health (UH) with one goal in mind; The crash survivor wanted to reconnect with the man she credits with saving her life.
“I wanted him to see how well I am doing,” Summa said.
She’s referring to Dustin Neel, MD, FACS, Trauma Medical Director and Medical Director of the Surgical ICU at University Health Truman Medical Center. The two first came into contact inside UH’s Emergency Department trauma bay in February of 2021.
Sadie was just 18 years old at the time and a passenger in the car driven by her boyfriend. Another friend sat in the backseat. The trio were driving on roads outside Sadie’s hometown of Eagleville, Missouri, just 10 minutes from the Iowa border. The car went out of control and rolled five times before coming to rest on its top.
The driver and the backseat passenger escaped with minor injuries. Sadie was not so lucky, suffering multiple internal injuries. Paramedics first transported her to the nearest hospital in Bethany, Missouri. From there, she was airlifted 90 miles to University Health in Kansas City, MO, which is an American College of Surgeons’ Level 1 Trauma Center - the highest designation - and was the first health system in Kansas City, MO to receive that certification. Thankfully, Dr. Neel was on duty that day.
“I’ve never seen this type of injury,” Neel said.
During the crash, Sadie was wearing a seatbelt. As the car went out of control and rolled, the seatbelt harness cut into her abdominal wall, injuring multiple internal organs requiring an emergent operation to stabilize her life threatening injuries.
The type and degree of the injuries were unusual to Neel who added, “We had to invent an operation to repair her internal organs and recreate her abdominal wall due to the severity of the injuries. Fortunately, we have an experienced team that can save lives even if the injuries are rare and complex. Sometimes, we have to think outside of the box.”
The teams inside the UH Trauma and Emergency Department are used to handling the most complex cases, treating more than 1,600 trauma admissions a year, everything from serious falls and assaults, to motorcycle and vehicle crashes.
In the days following the crash, Sadie underwent six, major abdominal surgeries and one complex orthopedic procedure.
Recently, Sadie returned to UH TMC to see Dr. Neel. Today, she is in good health and remains busy, working full-time and appreciating her life. She is grateful to the care she received from Dr. Neel and his team of multiple sub-specialists, including the Emergency Medicine, Critical care, orthopedic physicians, nurses and therapists.
“When someone is having the worst day of their life, we prepare to be at our best.” Neel said.