Jennifer Duncan was a hardworking mom; she pulled double shifts at Sonic and attended cosmetology school full time in hopes of becoming a cosmetician. Sadly, her life changed forever when she was pushed off of an interstate bridge with her baby boy Daniel cradled in her arms.
In May of 2016, Duncan was driving 8-month-old Daniel to daycare when she got into a fender bender on the side of an interstate bridge in Waco, Texas. As she was waiting for authorities to arrive, standing outside her vehicle with her son in her arms, an oncoming car collided with another car that had been pulled over. The car that was hit was launched in Duncan’s direction, sending both her and Daniel slamming down into the asphalt 30 feet below.
Duncan recalled to TODAY, “The first thing I did was bring my knees up around [Daniel’s] body and my hands around his head. I just cradled him and held him tightly.”
“It seemed like only two seconds to land, and the next thing I knew, I was laying there and my son was laying beside me. I tried to get closer to him, and I couldn’t move at all.”
Duncan suffered extensive injuries: her lower left leg was completely severed, her right leg and pelvis also shattered with the fall. She additionally broke 9 bones in her back, fracturing a number of ribs and damaging several of her internal organs.
Somehow though, baby Daniel made it; a small scratch on his forehead the only evidence of the horrific accident he had just survived. Duncan now calls him her “miracle baby”.
A spokesperson for the Waco police department told TODAY the driver who caused Duncan’s injuries was found to have committed “no criminal offense”. Still, the young mother’s life was forever changed. After the accident, Duncan spent more than 3 months in the hospital and in rehab, undergoing 14 surgeries and attending physiotherapy 3 times a week.
“I want to be able to walk with my son. That’s my major goal. I definitely need to catch up with him,” Duncan told TODAY. “He is my #1 motivation. I see how he looks at me and how he wants me to play with him.”
Although Duncan had just moved into a new home prior to the accident, her injuries and medical expenses forced her to move back in with her parents who now help take care of her son. She has a GoFundMe set up for her medical bills, and donations have already helped cover the cost of a $4,000 prosthetic leg.
In a GoFundMe update posted 3 months ago, the young mother wrote,“This past year with God and prayer I have overcome 16 surgeries. My son Daniel is doing very well. He is walking, talking, and is very active. We will soon be celebrating his 2nd birthday. If you look at him now you would never think such a horrible accident has happened to him. He is doing so well.
“We are currently trying to get things back in order and to the way we used to be. Not being able to work has made it hard but I know with the love and support we have from family friends and all of you we will get back to it.
“After a year and a half, I didn’t think we would overcome so much. I am so thankful to the doctors, nurses and therapy team for helping us and still continue to help us recover. I know we still have a lot of recovery left but blessed to be better than we were a year ago. “
If you’d like to donate towards Jennifer Duncan’s medical bills, you can do so here.
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