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One victim of Friday’s Highway 14 crash released from hospital

A miracle she survived, says husband
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A woman who was thrown from her vehicle during a dramatic three-car crash in Sooke on Friday afternoon was been released from the hospital on Wednesday (Sept.19).

Susan Browne, the driver of a blue Hyundai Tuscon that was demolished in the crash, was released from Victoria General Hospital today.

“It really was miraculous that she didn’t sustain even more injuries,” said Andrew Donnelly, Browne’s husband.

“She had four broken ribs and a broken wrist that they operated on immediately, as well as broken toes on both feet and a few vertebrae that are cracked.”

Donelly said his wife also suffered a concussion after receiving a head injury that required nine staples to fix.

And despite that she was wearing a seatbelt, Browne was ejected from her vehicle through the smashed panoramic sunroof of her vehicle.

RELATED: Questions remain following Friday crash

She was found by the accident scene and attended by two individuals who had witnessed the crash and came to her aid prior to the arrival of emergency personnel.

“One of them called me at my place of work to tell me that there had been a serious accident,” said Donnelly, adding he had been working in Langford and got to the hospital before the ambulance transporting his wife arrived.

“She doesn’t remember anything about the accident at all, but we know that she had just been meeting with a family friend and fellow volunteer with the Sooke Harbour Players. We think she must have just rejoined the main road just before the collision and couldn’t have been travelling at a high rate of speed,” Donnelly said.

Donnelly and Browne are both active volunteers in Sooke with Donnelly acting as the president of the Sooke Harbour Players and Browne working as an assistant director for the troupe.

“I was to have a part in our next production, and Susan was helping to direct, but obviously I’ve stepped back from that now. My priority, first and foremost, is to take care of Susan as she recovers,” Donnelly said.

“An event like this can happen in a heartbeat and really turn lives upside down.”

The collision occurred when Browne’s vehicle was apparently struck by a black Chevrolet Silverado, driven by a 75-year-old man who RCMP speculate may have experienced a medical event at the time of the collision. Moments before, the same truck had been in collision with a black Dodge pickup driven by a 59-year-old man, approximately 500 metres west of the final crash site.

RCMP have confirmed that both the other drivers have now been released from the hospital after sustaining serious, but non-life-threatening, injuries.

The investigation into the cause of the Sept. 14 crash continues.



editor@sookenewsmirror.com

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