Critically Injured Sugarland Fan Makes ‘Miracle’ Recovery After Indiana State Fair Stage Collapse
One of the fans who was critically injured during a stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair in 2011 is celebrating what amounts to a miraculous recovery.
Andrea Voss Vellinga of Pendleton, Ind. is still slowly recovering from the traumatic brain injury she suffered that day, but tells the Evansville Courier & Press, “I’m blessed just to be alive.”
A huge fan of Sugarland, Vellinga had special passes to a VIP section called the Sugar Pit, which was right up next to the stage at the fateful gig on August 13, 2011. Just before the country duo were expected to take the stage, high winds caused the rigging from the temporary structure to topple into the audience, killing seven people and injuring 58 others. Vellinga was among the most seriously injured of the survivors, suffering multiple broken bones and skull trauma so severe that she had to be identified by her wedding ring and boots.
She returned home in May after a lengthy hospital stay, and after extensive rehab, Vellinga says she is grateful for the recovery she has made thus far. When she was undergoing physical rehabilitation, a nurse who had treated her during her initial hospital stay brought her flowers, saying, “These are for my miracle girl.” Vellinga, who has no memory of the incident at the State Fair or the following weeks, didn’t understand at first.
“She told me my intracranial pressure was so high they didn’t know if I was going to make it,” she relates. “So now it makes sense. It is a miracle I survived considering how badly I was hurt.”
Her head trauma is so extensive that it requires her to wear a helmet, and Vellinga still can’t control her left arm. She struggles with short-term memory and a number of other challenges. “I had to learn how to walk, talk, eat, speak — pretty much everything again,” she reveals. “I’ve certainly improved, but I still have a way to go.”
Still, she says with the support of her husband and family, she hopes to be able to drive, run and play volleyball again eventually. Vellinga also says she might like to have another child, but for now, she says she’s just counting her blessings.
“My friend who got me the tickets told me she keeps asking herself, ‘Why Andrea? Why did it happen to her?’ And you know I’ve asked myself that same question many times,” Vellinga admits. “But then one day she said, ‘I finally think I understand. I think it happened to you because God knew you could emotionally make it through it. A lot of people couldn’t.’”
The “miracle girl” adds, “Her saying that meant a lot to me. It made me think that being so close to those people who died, God saved me for a reason and I’ve got to make the most of it now.”
Next: See the Most Shocking Moments in Country Music History
‘Koalaing’ Could Be the Cutest Web Photo Trend Yet
Forget (if you haven't already) milking, planking, hadokening, any of those-ings that were internet fads for a hot minute. They've been replaced. They're done. Koalaing -- that's the trick o' the day. It involved clinging as tightly to a pole or tree as possible like a koala. It's pretty adorable. Check it out.
Chris Young Doesn’t Feel Pressure When It Comes to Fourth Album
With a string of No. 1 singles – 'Tomorrow' and 'You' from 2011's 'Neon,' and 'Gettin' You Home,' 'The Man I Want to Be' and 'Voices,' from 2009's 'The Man I Want to Be'-- there are expectations surrounding Chris Young's upcoming fourth album. But as for pressure? Pft. He's feeling none of that.
Remember When George Strait Went to Prison?
It was the wildest show behind bars, and George Strait was in the thick of it for one year in the early '80s. He wasn't the only one. Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Tom T. Hall … they all did time behind the walls of the Huntsville Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Dierks Bentley Says Third Baby Was ‘Kinda Planned, Kinda Unplanned’
Dierks Bentley, with decidedly shorter hair, spoke to a Jacksonville radio station during an appreciation event for the military and revealed how his wife Cassidy let him know that their third bundle of joy was on the way. The pregnancy, according to Bentley, was sort of a surprise, but not really.
Would Keith Urban Return to ‘American Idol’?
Most average people hate their jobs, toiling away to earn a wage and to make ends meet. It is a rare and precious few who get to do what they love for a living, and Keith Urban is one of those fortunate folks when it comes to being a judge on the embattled 'American Idol.' The singer and guitarist wants to return to his seat for Season 13 in 2014 and with good reason.
Deer Goes Crazy After Crashing Into a Bus
May 18, 2013 12:00 PM I have had my fair share of run ins with deer. Living in the country, it's just a way of life. You must, during the early morning hours and evening/night hours, constantly be on alert and have your eyes scanning the sides of the road.
Once, on a trip back to Indiana from Tennessee, a deer came inches away from slamming through the passenger side window of my car, injuring my son. Luckily, the deer hit the front of the windshield and rolled off the hood of the car. But in the case of this bus, it came right through the window and went crazy!!
Trick Shot Videos That Would Make LeBron and Tiger Jealous
May 18, 2013 8:00 AM Trick shot videos can be pretty amazing depending on how elaborate they are, which in some cases might even make you question their authenticity. The first Video is one of the most incredible basketball shots you will ever see featuring a guy falling from a 100-goot platform and dropping the ball through the hoop. The second video might be the greates trick golf shot ever and definitely a one-in-a-million shot.
‘Sixty for Sixty’ Campaign for George Strait Falls Short
May 18, 2013 4:00 AM George Strait turns 61 years old TODAY! The "Sixty for Sixty" campaign to get George his 60th #1 single while he was still 60 years old didn't quite make it, "Give It All We Got Tonight" has only made it to #10. But, that's OK, there is no one like George Strait and there quite possibly never will be. Several, I mean tons, of artists made videos to try and urge fans to buy the single. It is very touching. Watch them give love and admiration to the king of country music.
Quadruplets Laughing at Their Dad Will Make Your Weekend
May 17, 2013 8:00 PM This video may not have any real social significance and it's certainly not the most news worthy story of the day. However, with everything going on in the world today and on the nightly newscasts, sometimes we just need something to remind us that life is good and humanity can be a beautiful thing.
Carrie Underwood Not Ready for Kids Yet
Now 30, Carrie Underwood has a thriving career, a bursting bank account and an incredibly supportive hockey playing husband -- and she's content to bask in the joy of her almost three-year marriage... without kids.