Finally Home

31. Jenna

Columbus Area Singer, Daughter Involved in Serious Crash in Cleveland
Daughter in Critical Condition

AP - Cleveland - Twentyone Pilots frontman Tyler Joseph and his daughter Samantha, 16, were involved in a serious automobile accident in Cleveland, Ohio.

Sources report that Joseph and his daughter were in Cleveland for the Cavaliers game at the FieldHouse on Saturday.

After leaving the arena, the pair were struck by a truck that ran a red light, striking the pair on the passenger side, and rolling the car. Witnesses report the car rolled three times before landing on the passenger side.

It took fire crews only four minutes to reach the scene and ten to extract the elder Joseph from the car. The younger Joseph had to be extracted using the Jaws of Life and was reportedly vital signs absent.

She was resuscitated on the scene and both father and daughter were transferred to the Cleveland Clinic Hospital where Samantha is listed in Critical Condition and is in the Pediatric ICU on life support.

Tyler was admitted with a concussion and broken ribs. He is expected to make a full recovery. Samantha's prognosis is unknown.

The driver of the truck, Kevin LaMont, 36, of Clabasas, California, is charged with impaired driving and impaired driving causing bodily harm.

LaMont had been driving for 18 hours straight without a break.
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I re-read the article in the paper. The truck rolled three times and landed on Samantha's side. She was struck by the truck. She took the full force of the impact. My poor girl. Our poor girl.

Tyler was still waking up, crying for Samantha. He was having terrible nightmares about the crash. 

Tyler had been released from the hospital after a week. We'd been able to extend the hotel room for as long as we needed. Josh and Debby were staying with us. Debby had brought Rosie up the day after the accident, and we brought her every day to the hospital to visit with Sam. Most days Rosie would lie on the bed beside Sam and pat her cheek.

At night at least one of us stayed at the hospital with Sam and someone stayed at the hotel with Tyler and Rosie.  We all sat with Sam during the day.

It had been a month since the accident. Samantha's EEG showed steady brain waves. But there had been no improvement. She wasn't able to breathe on her own. She didn't open her eyes if asked. She didn't squeeze our hands.

She'd had a couple more surgeries to fix her ribs, an internal bleed in her abdomen, and one to replace the piece of skull that had been removed to make room for her brain to swell. The swelling had come down and Sam's body was healing. But still, she lay comatose. 

Brendon and Sarah checked in every day. Brendon was working on an album, and as badly as they wanted to be here, right now they couldn't.

"SaSa sleep, Mama," Rosie said, curled up beside her sister.

"Yes Rosie, SaSa is sleeping."

Tyler held Sam's right hand. All day he murmured to her. He sang Formidable over and over. He cried. He was so despondent. Josh and I were worried about him and I'd spoken to Sam's doctor about getting a psychiatrist to come talk to him. He said he'd send someone. Josh and I couldn't talk to him. He continued to blame himself. 

The police had been by to update us on what was happening with the investigation.  The driver had been driving 18 hours with no break, had consumed several energy drinks and apparently hadn't slept in nearly 36 hours.

Samantha had visitors from both the Toronto Raptors and the Cavs the day after the accident. And members of the Cavs, Kevin Love in particular, visited during the following weeks.

He'd brought a signed jersey of his and a Cavs blanket that he laid over Sam.

Erin and Jill checked in every day and had driven up to Cleveland a couple of weekends for Jill to visit. Tyler's family came up on the weekends, too and our pastor had made the drive one Sunday and prayed all day with us. I knew Sam didn't believe in God, but we did. And we needed the comfort, too.

Our pastor had tried to talk with Tyler, too. He still blamed himself for getting into an accident when everything was shown that he'd done nothing wrong. He was turning on a green light. An advanced green, yet.

But no one had been able to convince him he wasn't at fault. He apologized all the time.

"Jenna?" Josh said, coming into the room with more coffee. He put the coffee down on the table by Sam's bed and motioned for me to follow him outside.

"Tyler, I'm just going to stretch my legs, okay. I'll be back in a minute," I said, rubbing his back and kissing his head.

"You are formidable to me..." he was singing. Again.

I followed Josh out into the hallway.

"We have to get someone to talk to him. I'm getting really worried. He's not eating. Not enough anyway. He's not sleeping. He's, he's not himself."

"I know," I said. "Dr Cooper said he's going to send someone to talk to him. Hopefully today."

"I'm thinking, he might need to be admitted," Josh said.

"He's not hurting himself. I've checked. He's depressed, he's anxious and he's blaming himself. But he hasn't gone as far as hurting himself."

"If he does..."

"I will talk to the doctor about admitting him."

We went back into Samantha's room and sat at her bedside.