Today has been a good news, not so good news day. A lot of ground has been covered, so here goes...
Well, not quite yet
Our Thursday plan on AmTrak is going to pass with no travel. Cyn is not yet strong enough to be ready for travel. The problem with fluid is resolving, but still causing some difficulties. The doctors have decided that even though there is some fluid remaining on her lungs, it is not enough to be a major concern.
The collarbone has come into play again. Even though the break isn't a compound fracture, it is bad with significant separation. It hadn't been considered serious enough for surgery because the risks with the amount of lung and rib damage. They took new x-rays to see the current state of the break. An orthopedist will read them and is going to speak with Cyn tomorrow and make a recommendation. If she has surgery to repair the collarbone, the level of uncertainty on a return date will increase significantly.
Truck visit is complete
Today Jan and I spent about four hours at the impound lot cleaning out the truck. We started with additional photos outside and inside, then worked our way through the parts of the truck where Cyn's personal effects were stored. You've seen a picture of the front of the truck, attached to this email is a shot of where she was sitting. Now that I've seen and been in the cab, I'm not quite sure how they got her out. My best description is that her truck was squeezed from front and back, then shaken violently. There was glass, jagged metal and plastic all over the place. A number of places were oil and liquid soaked. Cyn was carrying drinking water and Mt. Dew Red, which didn't survive the crash. I found small water bottles from a flat of bottles that had been in the bunk area, some full, some not, between the top the dash and the windshield, in compartments, everywhere.
We have a pretty good idea how fast Cyn was going when she hit the other truck. The speedometer was frozen at 55 mph. The instrument cluster was intact, but pretty well disconnected from the dash. I had to remove it while searching for Cyn's glasses between the dash and front windshield where we guessed they might be. According to the impound lot manager, new speedometers are designed to freeze in place in an accident.
In spite of the condition of the inside of the cab, we were able to retrieve a number of items. Before going out, we made a list with Cyn of items to look for and where they had been relative to the driver's seat. Some stuff was where it had been, some wasn't. I worked the inside of the cab gathering anything that appeared of value, and putting it on the driver's seat while Jan did some preliminary sorting - clothing here, tools there, paperwork somewhere else. A number of the items we'll have to have Cyn interpret when she see it.
Our search was cut short by the weather. A thunderstorm blew in from the mountains and drenched the area. Toward the end, it was a rush to bag stuff and get it to the van before the downpour arrived. The truck will be salvaged so what we have is what we have.
Question of Mercury answered
Unfortunately, we are pretty sure Mercury, one of Cyn's cats, died in the accident. While examining one of the outboard compartments behind the sleeper area, I encountered the odor of death. That section was very badly damaged and unreachable.
Where from here
We are to spend today with the various therapists as they work with Cyn. We will have a discussion with the orthopedist about her collarbone and the nurse in charge of her recovery to determine what a plan of action to follow.
Two surprises
After working inside Cyn's cab, I was surprised the engine was not in the cab. Based on the outside picture, I expected to find it up between the seats, but it wasn't. I suspect it was actually forced under the cab, because the floor and instrument panel were both raised and pushed toward the doors.
We had guessed Cyn's glasses had been thrown to the windshield on impact and where somewhere between the windshield and the dash. I was surprised we found Cyn's glasses, temples closed, on the floor between the driver's seat and the door. They were covered with debris and well oiled, but Jan was able to clean them and bend them into a usable form. Cyn can now read your emails, and see the pictures we took of the truck.
Have to run.
Take care.
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