First Post

Hello Everyone,

So as many of you know, Allyn Lindemann got into a car crash on the afternoon of Sunday, June 7th, 2009. A drunk driver (possibly with passenger) crossed over the center line into Mom's lane and hit her about 1 mile up Novelty Hill from the intersection of Avondale and Novelty in Redmond. The speed limit at that point was 45 mph.

The timing was very strange, just hours after my graduation from Overlake. It was also the first time my mom's brother has ever come out to Washington, and a full moon too. Enough to make you superstitious. The good news was that all my living relatives were in town for my graduation, from Maine to California to Washington. The bad news is that an otherwise happy celebration was turned into a scary ER visit.

My mom was driving my black lexus ES 330 home from lunch at Fairwinds where my grandfather lives. She was the only one driving, everyone else was in the other 2 cars driving home from Fairwinds (3 total cars). After she did not show up at home after everyone else, my dad and Uncle Kim went back to see if she was out of gas when they saw road flares and the crashed cars. The doctors later called it a "high mechanism" crash meaning that massive forces were involved.

The top had to be cut off my car (which she was driving) and she was airlifted to Harborview Hospital in Seattle. The good news: my parents got me such a nice car to keep me safe, it is one of the safest cars out there. It is comforting to think that my mom got me a safe car so I would be safe, and it ended up saving her own life.

Also, Harborview is one of the best trauma hospitals in one of the best countries in the world. My mom was the #1 priority when she got there, so she literally had the best doctors in the world working on her.

I was attending my class overnight celebration with the rest of my class when I was called away. During the overnighter we were supposed to give up our cell phones but I kept mine for my peanut allergy. This is a good life lesson: don't give up your cell phone! I drove back with Graeme and Mrs. Boit (thanks again!)

When we got there, my mom was bleeding profusely both internally and externally. Though we got there around 8pm (if I remember right), we wouldn't see her till 5am. The doctors told us she might die because of blood loss. By 12pm, Me, my Dad, our family friends the Walkowskis, Mrs. Booth, Mrs. Perry, Mr. and Mrs. Angelo, my girlfriend Katie and her brother, Graeme and his sister and dad, and Mrs. Boit were all in a cramped waiting room crying and praying.

As we found that night, her initial injuries were:
Broken left lower leg
Both femurs broken
Pelivis broken in 2 places
Tissue missing in left leg
Bleeding profusely internally and externally in pelvis and legs
Broken left elbow
Broken left ribs
Body temperature too cold
Lost nutrients, fluids, proteins, and platelets from blood loss

At the time we did not know if she also had possible spinal or brain injuries, but she has been seen moving her arms and legs which is good.

The doctors worked well and stopped the major bleeding. They also brought her body temp up with blankets and water baths, started aIV and blood transfusions, and set up tractions in her legs to help with blood flow to her legs and feet and to help set the femurs.

The fluids have made her body really puffy but it was good to see her fighting this morning and today. Life has been hectic as our whole family and friends are getting organized.

If you would like to help call our home phone, if no answer leave a message. We are getting a phone tree set up and food organized now.

Please keep Mom in your thoughts and prayers.

Thanks,
Scott