A little boy who survived a violent rollover on a trip home from Casper turns 1 Thursday while his 20-year-old mother remains more than 200 miles away in a South Dakota intensive care unit.
According to her family, Alycyn Swanson had just picked up her son, Thomas, in Casper, where he had spent about a week and a half with his grandmother, Monica Peterson, while Swanson worked extra shifts at two jobs in Minnesota to earn money for his first birthday.
Mother and son were headed back to Minnesota early Monday when Swanson fell asleep behind the wheel near Buffalo, South Dakota, her older sister Nessa Schaefer told Cowboy State Daily.
Schaefer said the family was told the vehicle hit an approach, launched through the air and flipped end-over-end before landing upside down with the roof crushed around Swanson.
Thomas was strapped into his car seat. He emerged with bruises and scratches.
His mother suffered brain bleeds, swelling in her brain and serious spinal injuries and was taken to a Rapid City hospital, where doctors initially weren't sure she would survive, Schaefer said.
Three days later, Peterson was back in Casper getting things together for her grandson's first birthday.
Swanson remained in the ICU.
Car Seat Saved Baby
Swanson doesn't remember the wreck, Schaefer said.
Her family has instead been trying to reconstruct what happened from information they got from law enforcement.
Schaefer said the family was told Swanson fell asleep. The vehicle left the roadway, hit the approach and launched 100 feet through the air before flipping end-over-end, Schaefer recalled law enforcement telling the family.
Swanson and Thomas were still inside. Both had been restrained.
“Thankfully, his car seat saved him,” Schaefer said of Thomas. “He literally walked away with bruises and scratches.”
Swanson bore the brunt of the crash.
Photographs of the wreckage show the roof crushed down around the passenger compartment. Schaefer said it was pushed below the top of the steering wheel.
An officer later told Peterson her daughter shouldn't even be alive, Schaefer said.
South Dakota Highway Patrol released preliminary details of the crash Thursday, confirming it happened at 1:08 a.m. Monday on U.S. Highway 85, about 8 miles south of Buffalo. Highway Patrol said Swanson's 2016 Subaru Impreza crossed into the southbound lane, entered the west ditch and struck a field approach before going airborne, rolling and coming to rest on its roof.
The agency said both Swanson and Thomas were restrained, and Swanson was taken to a Rapid City hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Phone Called For Help
The family's understanding is that Swanson's cellphone detected the crash and automatically called 911.
“Thankfully, her phone had the accident detection, where if it shakes too much or whatever, it automatically calls 911,” Schaefer said.
Apple's Crash Detection feature can detect what it determines to be a severe vehicle crash and alert the user.
If the user doesn't respond, the phone can automatically contact emergency services and provide location information.
The family was told Swanson and Thomas remained upside down in the wreckage for about 15 minutes before first responders arrived.
“That’s the only way the first responders got there so quick,” Schaefer said.
Touch And Go
Schaefer was asleep at home in Williston, North Dakota, when her fiancé woke her early Monday.
It was about 4 a.m., and Peterson was calling.
“My mom had said Alycyn was in a car accident,” Schaefer recalled. “The car had flipped.”
She couldn't get back to sleep, but eventually went to work, where she spent the morning crying and waiting for information.
Around 12:30 p.m., Peterson sent her photographs of the wreckage.
“I just saw the car and knew it was touch and go whether she'll survive this or not,” Schaefer said.
At least by then, she knew the baby boy survived.
“The first picture I got was how Thomas looked,” she said.
Swanson's prognosis was far less certain.
“It was very up in the air,” Schaefer said. “They said she might not get through this.”
The past few days have been difficult.
“Aly’s just so young, and she has so much life to live,” Schaefer said. “And I just didn't want Thomas to lose his mom.”
Brain Bleeds, Broken Spine
Swanson survived those first critical hours, but her injuries are extensive.
Schaefer said her sister has swelling in her brain and what the family understands to be three or four brain bleeds.
She also suffered serious spinal injuries, including multiple fractures.
For now, doctors are trying to keep her as still as possible.
Swanson has been fitted with a rigid brace that Schaefer said she will have to wear continuously for 12 weeks. Doctors are monitoring her spine with imaging to make sure it remains properly aligned.
There is an encouraging sign: Swanson can move her toes.
As far as the family knows, she is not paralyzed, Schaefer said. But doctors have warned that movement of the injured portion of her spine could cause further damage.
If her spine shifts, Schaefer said the family has been told Swanson could require emergency surgery and potentially face paralysis.
That's one reason she's being kept heavily sedated.
Swanson also suffered significant injuries to her face and head. Schaefer said she has broken or loose teeth, severe bruising and swelling, and a deep injury above her eyebrow. Part of her scalp was badly cut and required staples.
'She's Gonna Get Through This'
Yet with each passing day, the family has begun seeing more of Swanson return.
When Swanson first began communicating, she didn't remember the crash.
She remembered leaving Casper, Schaefer said, but nothing about what came afterward.
At one point, when Peterson mentioned Thomas, Swanson initially didn't understand who she was talking about.
That frightened the family, but as the days have passed, she has become more lucid.
“She just said that she’s gonna get through this,” Schaefer said.
Swanson told her mother, “You’re gonna have to put up with me forever.”
The current plan is for Swanson to come to Wyoming to recover with Peterson once doctors determine she is well enough to leave the hospital.
Picking Up The Pieces
Back in Minnesota, Swanson's co-workers have raised about $300 for her, while a former roommate is helping with rent.
“Pretty much all those bases back home have been covered between work, daycare, rent,” Schaefer said.
For now, nobody expects Swanson to return to that life anytime soon.
On Friday, Peterson plans to drive from Casper to Rapid City with Thomas so he can see his mother.
A GoFundMe organized by Schaefer is raising money for Swanson's medical and recovery expenses and whatever comes afterward.
Eventually, there will be decisions about another vehicle, a place to live and what happens to the life Swanson left behind in Minnesota.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
