Sarah Jo Plucker-Wright
About Sarah Jo
Sarah Jo, a mother to two children and married to her husband, Joshua, was living her best life. She had recently taken a hold of her health, increasing stamina and hitting personal fitness goals, such as running 5 miles, for 6 months prior to the crash.
Crash Description
Sarah Jo was leaving for work the morning of August 7, 2018. Only 30 seconds from her driveway, a tractor trailer going 68 mph t-boned her car in the intersection at the end of her block. Her leg was snapped in half; she sustained nerve damage and abdominal injuries. Because the crash was so close to their home, after hearing his wife had been in a crash, Joshua accidentally drove their children by the aftermath of the scene where their mom had been severely injured.
Life After the Crash
When Sarah Jo recalls the morning of the crash, she says she wasn't scared when it happened, she wasn't mad, she wasn't angry, and she wasn't worried because she knew she did nothing wrong. She knew that she just had to sit back and let everyone else do their thing.
Sarah Jo never lost consciousness and can vividly recall the details. She knew the truck was going fast and can still see the truck hitting her, passing so close in front of her face that she could read the writing on the door of the cab. Looking at the pictures of her car after the crash, it appears as if the truck hit the side of her car and drove over the top of her hood.
Her immediate injuries were a shattered tibia and fibula, broken rib, abdominal trauma and seat belt burns. While most of those have healed, she is still left with permanent nerve damage, scarring and an uncanny ability to predict major changes in the weather. In addition, the sheer physical stress from the impact of being hit at 68 miles per hour has significantly aged her body. She experiences health concerns more typical of a 60-year-old than a 40-year-old, which is exacerbated by not being able to run and work out like she used to. Sarah Jo and her daughter both experienced PTSD from the crash which included nightmares and panic attacks.
Sarah Jo describes the crash as “something you don’t get over”, but rather an event with a distinguished before and after. She believes that as a survivor she can take what has happened and choose every day to continue to live life to the best of her ability. Sarah Jo hopes that by sharing her story she can help survivors of truck crashes to feel valid in their experiences, and to increase awareness of the need for safer trucking regulations.
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