Lucky to be alive: Mother shares story of crash
Staff reporter
The young mother didn't think twice about buckling her children in the family's Suburban that Tuesday afternoon. After all, she always did.
But what happened to Leslie Stanford and her three young children Jan. 3, is the kind of accident every spouse, parent, and grandparent dreads hearing.
"I looked in my rearview mirror and there he was," Leslie said.
Leslie and her children, Connor, 6, Braden, 3, and Ashlon, 2, were riding home to their rural Peabody home. They were traveling on U.S.-50, like always, and Leslie pulled up to the corner of Jade Road to make the left turn she always makes to go home.
"I was sitting and waiting for traffic," Leslie recalled. Two semi tractor-trailers had just passed her on the opposite side of the highway when she looked in her rearview mirror.
"There was a semi 10 feet behind me," Leslie said, and she could tell he wasn't slowing down.
"The next thing I know, there's an ambulance," she said.
The memory of the accident itself are in bits and pieces. She remembers helping to get her daughter Ashlon out of the vehicle. She remembers being in the ditch. She remembers people stopping to help. In time, the pieces will come together for her.
Here's what happened:
Leslie was alone in the front seat of the family's 1998 GMC Suburban.
Directly behind her in the second seat was Ashlon. Next to Ashlon was Connor and by the passenger door was Braden.
Ashlon and Connor were in car seats and Braden was buckled in like his mom.
When the accident occurred, the semi slammed into the rear of the vehicle, pushed it across westbound traffic, and rolled in a north ditch. Luckily, there wasn't any oncoming traffic at the time.
The semi came to rest on a westbound shoulder of the highway.
Leslie and Ashton were flown by Eagle Med from the scene to Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis campus, Wichita.
Mother and daughter had bruised lungs. Ashlon had a torn trachea that required surgery.
The boys were driven to the hospital by family.
"Connor and Braden did not have a scratch on them," Leslie said.
Leslie stayed in the hospital overnight. Doctors said Ashlon would probably have to stay seven to 10 days following surgery but the two-year-old was sent home Saturday.
"Right now everything appears to be OK," Leslie said, referring to Ashlon's recovery.
She and her family appreciate the excellent care they received at the accident scene and hospital.
"I cannot complain about anybody," Leslie said. "We received awesome care."
Corey and Leslie had just purchased and moved to their rural home in August from Newton.
Corey works at Agco at Hesston, and Leslie is an office assistant at Tecweld Automation at Newton.
Braden attends school at Hesston.
"We drive this highway a minimum of four times per day," Leslie said. She recalled one close call and was aware of the history of accidents on the two-lane speedway. So she was careful.
Leslie knows buckling herself and her children into the vehicle saved their lives.
"A lot of people out there are bad mouthing the big vehicles (like Suburbans)," Leslie said, "but it saved our lives."
She has always been a seat belt advocate and now she has even more reason to preach it.
Leslie has advice for travelers who have to share the road with larger vehicles.
"Get over and let those semis pass you," Leslie said.
The couple plan to stay where they are. Corey's parents, Gerry and Helen Stanford, live just up the road from the young family.
Jack and Glenda Taylor of Marion, are Leslie's grandparents, and Jack and Hope Spain, also of Marion, are her great-grandparents.
The injuries will heal and the bruises will fade but it's doubtful if this family will forget that day when luck was on their side.
As for traveling U.S.-50, life goes on and driving it is a necessity.
"I know that the good Lord will keep His hand on me," Leslie said.
