Veteran Completes Her Toughest Mission: Recovering After Car Wreck

Mississippi Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Crystal Lane has been deployed to Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq, but her toughest moment came in a car wreck outside of Fulton.

“I’ve been to war three times, but May 14, 2022, was the scariest day of my life,” said Lane, 44, who suffered broken bones down her entire right side from her arm and wrist to her leg and heel.

Her mission to regain independence and return to her career in information technology at Columbus Air Force Base required multiple surgeries at North Mississippi Medical Center-Tupelo and therapy at the NMMC Rehabilitation Institute, at home with NMMC Home Health and at NMMC-West Point Outpatient Rehabilitation.

“I did have my moments,” Lane said. “I focused on the small victories; I gave myself little challenges so I wouldn’t get stuck.”

Lane was in physical and occupational therapy for more than a year as she worked to heal. She learned key life lessons through the experience.

“Be patient,” Lane said. “Don’t give up on yourself.”

On May 14, 2022, Lane was on her way to a National Guard training drill in Fulton when another driver attempted to pass an 18-wheeler on a two-lane road. She was pinned inside the car while it teetered along the edge of a ravine. First responders extricated her from the car, and she was airlifted to NMMC-Tupelo.

“I got scared,” said Lane, who lost her brother, Ben, in a 2011 car wreck. “I knew it was serious, but I didn’t know what I broke.”

Over the course of two weeks, Lane went through five surgeries to repair multiple fractures in her right arm, right leg and heel. One of her orthopedic surgeons, Dr. Nels Thorderson, told her it would likely be four to five months before she could walk again.

She then spent 15 days at the NMMC Rehabilitation Institute as she started her recovery journey. Lane remembers the shock of being fitted for a wheelchair because crutches weren’t an option with the injuries to her wrist and arm. The team helped her learn to transfer and use her left hand for basic tasks.

“My mind was blown; I was in the best shape of my life,” said Lane, who had recently attended officer candidate school and was waiting for a commission. “The exercises looked trivial, but they broke me down daily.”

After two weeks in the Rehabilitation Institute, Lane continued therapy at her mother’s home in West Point with visits from NMMC Home Health. When Lane started physical and occupational therapy at NMMC-West Point Outpatient Rehabilitation on July 19, 2022, she still relied on the wheelchair and couldn’t put weight on her right arm or leg.

“The team at West Point was so encouraging,” Lane said. “They really became a part of my life.”

The therapists kept her focused on pushing forward. They helped her celebrate the victories, big and small, Lane said. Every small step got her closer to regaining her independence.

“It was awkward to brush my teeth,” Lane remembers. “It was the happiest day when I was able to squeeze the toothpaste with my right hand. You take those things for granted.”

In August 2022, she was able to start putting weight on her heel. By Aug. 18, Lane was able to take a few steps, months ahead of schedule.

“I still had to use the chair because I couldn’t walk very far,” Lane said. “It felt great to walk when I could.”

By September 2022, she was able to graduate from the wheelchair. Physical therapist Corey Watson presented her with a walker and an admonition: “Don’t come back in here with that wheelchair.”

“Corey was my therapist drill sergeant,” Lane said.

By Thanksgiving 2022, Lane was able to graduate from walker to cane.

“Getting rid of the walker was big,” Lane said. “It felt like I was almost normal.”

By March 2023, Lane was working on running. The team worked with her on what she needed to pass physical training tests for the Guard and incorporated them into routines she could do at home. Lane was able to return to work remotely in April 2023.

Lane spent so much time working on the parallel bars that the West Point Outpatient Rehabilitation team named it “Crystal Lane” in her honor when she officially graduated from therapy in June 2023.

“We have truly watched her miraculous transformation and healing,” said Jesy Wheat, occupational therapist with West Point Outpatient Rehabilitation.

Over the past year, Lane moved back into her own apartment in Columbus and continues to build her stamina. She keeps up with her fast-paced job. She keeps the cane available for safety, but rarely needs it.

“I thank God every day for sparing my life. Because of Him, it’s been a good recovery,” Lane said. “Sometimes I still amaze myself.”

During her lengthy recovery, Crystal Lane, center, became a fixture at NMMC-West Point Outpatient Rehabilitation. Celebrating her therapy graduation were, from left, physical therapist Corey Watson, occupational therapist Jesy Wheat and physical therapy assistants Hope Hendrix and Susan Miller.

Combat veteran Crystal Lane made a "miraculous" recovery from a life-altering car accident through determination, faith and the help of her rehabilitation team at North Mississippi Health Services.