Two Stephenville residents are currently being treated for injuries sustained in a car accident in front of the Sonic on the west end of town. The accident occurred Sunday evening, January 26 around 5 p.m. on Washington Street in Stephenville.
Michelle Jones, 78, was trying to turn into the Sonic restaurant and failed to yield the right-of-way, turning in front of an oncoming Chevy Impala. Jones’ car was T-boned by the Impala.
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The driver of the Chevy Impala was 83-year-old Jimmy Pair. Pair was transported by ambulance from the scene to Texas Health Stephenville where he was seen for minor injuries sustained in the accident.
Jones had to be transported by air to John Peter Smith Hospital, which is located in Fort Worth due to sustaining a brain injury in the accident. Doctors were operating Monday to try and stop the bleeding on her brain.
The most recent updates indicate that Jones was still in critical condition and had not opened her eyes. She has been somewhat responsive to her daughter, Jennifer Fornes. Jones has been able to move her feet and squeezed her daughter’s hand. She has also responded with shaking her head to answer yes or no.
Jones could have permanent repercussions from the accident and the brain injury. In elderly patients who experience a brain injury, there is an increased risk of confusion, problems with balance, memory loss, and the inability to hold their urine.
Those symptoms are key indicators that an elderly patient has sustained a traumatic brain injury and that they are not just from “old age”. In most cases, smaller bleeds are only monitored. The body will reabsorb the blood just like it would from a common bruise. Larger bleeds, however, require surgical intervention that can be mild to extreme. Bleeds that do not stop can cause the brain to expand and the pressure must be alleviated.
It is possible that once Jones has recuperated and all bleeding and swelling has gone away, that her functions could return with little to no delay.