BANGOR, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- An official report was released this week from the massive car pileup on I-95 in Carmel on February 25. It involved a total of 102 vehicles with 149 people going through the fear of what to do in that situation. Out of all those people, Breanna Brown was one of the luckiest to get out of the vehicle she was in alive.
The 23-year-old was a passenger in a Dodge pickup truck that was rear ended by a tractor trailer truck. Her body was pinned in the cab for some time before rescuers were able to pry the metal away from her body. She suffered a broken nose, fractured rib and burst vertebra along with several cuts and bruises all over her body.
"I was just in a little tiny space," said Brown. "They couldn't get to me through the window or anything and he looked at me like I wasn't going to make it. It was pretty tough."
Her step father who was driving the truck suffered very little injuries, but Brown has had to spend a total of 17 days recovering at Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC). While there she underwent a ten hour surgery on her spine that took three different surgeons to correct. Another large part to her recovery process has been physical therapy that she does twice a day.
"She needed a lot of help getting in and out of bed, wasn't even able to walk more than 15 feet when she first got here," said physical therapist Carlene West. "The strength improvement in her legs has just been incredible."
If Breanna continues to improve at the pace she has been, doctors expect her to be released from EMMC late next week.
When asked how she felt about surviving the accident Brown responded, "I know that I'm lucky to be alive."
