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RIVERTON — A rollover accident on I-80 left a 25-year-old woman paralyzed, and her mother said she's trying to help her adjust and move forward.
The accident occurred July 11 on eastbound I-80 near Grantsville around 5 p.m., according to Utah Highway Patrol trooper Ronny Corona. Keysha Jones and two of her friends were in Grantsville attending a wedding. Jones' mother, Bambi Sorensen, said because her daughter had been drinking, she had one of her friends drive them home.
While driving east on I-80, the female driver veered towards the right, then overcorrected to the left, Corona said. The vehicle rolled twice and landed on its side in the median. Jones wasn't wearing her seat belt in the backseat of the vehicle and was partially ejected during the accident, Corona said.
Jones and the other passenger both suffered serious injuries in the accident and were transported to an area hospital. The driver suffered minor injuries and was booked into the Tooele County Jail accused of driving under the influence and possession of drug paraphernalia.
"She said she felt that she was OK to drive herself," Corona said. "It's never a good idea to even drink and drive, to mix those two together. To have any chance of you driving a vehicle and drinking, it should just not even come into play."
Sorensen said her daughter broke her shoulder blade, several ribs and almost severed her spinal cord in the accident, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. Despite the life-changing injury, Sorensen said she is trying to help Jones adjust and doesn't have hard feelings about the accident.
"I'm not resentful of this girl," Sorensen said. "They were all friends. It could have been much worse. It is what it is and I can't change any of that."
Jones spent four weeks recovering in the hospital and began a 60-day physical therapy program on July 31 at University Hospital. Jones is a single mother to a 6-year-old boy, and because Sorensen has a son who is disabled and in a wheelchair, she said the transition won't be as difficult for her grandson.
"Because of my son, my grandson is not scared of anything with his mom," Sorensen said. "My grandson has been around that for 6 years. When I told him that his mommy's legs are not working and that they might not work, he said, 'Well, then we are going to have to get her a wheelchair like Uncle Skyler.'"
Sorensen works as a nurse and said it's a blessing that she has the skills to take care of her son, Skyler, and now her daughter. However, she said she is worried about having the needed room in her current house for Jones and her 6-year-old grandson and that it will need to be renovated.
Although she's "stuck between a rock and a hard place," Sorensen said she's trying to be proactive and remain positive.
"I choose to be positive and I choose to focus on the positive and what we need to do," Sorensen said. "She can live a productive life, but it's up to us to make sure she does that."
Sorensen set up a Keysha Jones account* at Wells Fargo where donations can be made to help pay for medical costs and needed home renovations.
*KSL.com does not assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
