Why is this website here?
On a snowy day in February 2003 our family experienced the
unthinkable: our minivan was struck by a full size van towing a covered
trailer containing another vehicle. The other driver lost control
in the snow and came across the highway median. The force crushed our
minivan and trapped Patrick. He and our daughters were injured.
Elise, then 2 1/2 years old, looked very bad but thankfully had only minor
injuries. Patrick's injuries were extensive. He spent 10 days in
intensive care and months in pain. Our 7 month old daughter Emma was critically injured.
She died the day after the crash.
The crash was violent.
Our loss was beyond measure.
In the days that followed we had to cope with many challenges.
Elise didn't understand what was happening. Where is Emma? What
is a funeral? Where is Daddy? There were so many decisions to be made,
so many forms and questions. We were amazed that there wasn't some
resource to help us through it all. Crashes take over 42 thousand lives
and injure nearly 3 million people a year in the US, but there was no group ready to
offer guidance. No one to give us any idea what to expect in the days
and weeks to come.
This website is our way of helping families start to cope with their loss.
We hope that the information here helps you. Know that you are not
alone in your grief, pain, frustration and fear.
Why is there injury prevention
information here?
Crash Survivors Network's mission is to reduce the
overall toll of motor vehicle crashes. This means that
we provide support and resources after a crash. It
also means we try to lower the risk of a serious crash and
protect those who might be in the vehicle. We hope
that the injury
prevention information we provide will help families face
traveling in a vehicle again after they've experienced a crash.
We also hope that it will save lives and prevent injuries in
those families who have not yet been involved in a crash.
Who are the founders?
Patrick and Theresa Atkinson are both PhD researchers in
the field of Biomechanics. They use the principles of
engineering to understand the strength and function of the
human body. For over 10 years they have worked with
seat belt and air bag manufacturers to help make vehicles
safer. The loss of their daughter in a crash was a
shock to those in the automotive safety field. In the
years since the crash they have worked to further automotive
safety. In the past year they both became certified
child passenger technicians. As technicians they
volunteer at child seat checks for the Greater Flint Kids
Safe Coalition. Their contributions to educate the
public, train future automotive safety engineers, and
to advance automotive safety honor the memory of their
daughter Emma and celebrate the lives of their daughters
Elise and Sarah.
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