By Paul Wilcoxen
The Southern Illinoisan
CARTERVILLE, Ill. — Ramsey Uhter remembers little about the medical procedures that saved her life after she was struck and dragged by a truck while riding her e-bike in Marion last year.
But she remembers the people who washed her hair, brought her treats and stopped by her hospital room to see how she was doing.
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On Friday, Oct. 9, Uhter returned to thank those caregivers during a surprise appearance at the SIH Trauma and Critical Care Symposium at Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort.
The reunion came two days after the first anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2025, crash that left her critically injured and facing months of recovery.
Uhter was riding home from work when a truck struck her at an intersection and dragged her along Boynton Street.
“I remember waking up and having one of my neighbors stroke my hair underneath the truck, and then I don’t remember much after that except waking up in the ambulance and it being cold and quiet,” Uhter said.
First responders initially transported her to a nearby hospital because her condition was too unstable to wait for a helicopter. Her condition deteriorated, and she lost her pulse before being flown to SIH Memorial Hospital of Carbondale.
Dana Gabe, a registered nurse who presented the emergency department portion of Uhter’s case, said CPR restored her circulation before transport. When she arrived in Carbondale, her blood pressure remained dangerously low in spite of ongoing blood transfusions.
Dr. Andrew Kastello, SIH trauma and critical care surgeon, was on call when the hospital received its highest level of trauma activation. He arrived as the emergency department team worked to stabilize Uhter.
“What I saw was a patient that was critically ill,” Kastello said. “How do I know that? The color of her skin, the condition of her injuries, her vital signs. This is someone that I knew was in need of a desperate intervention.”
Uhter’s injuries included a collapsed lung, several broken bones and damage to her spleen and kidney. Surgeons removed her spleen and she later underwent operations to repair fractures and skin grafts to treat wounds from the crash.
By Oct. 10, Uhter was sitting in a chair with her mother at her bedside, her feeding tube had been removed and she was able to eat pizza for dinner, according to registered nurse Kendra George.
Further surgeries and skin grafts followed before she was transferred Nov. 6 to Pennsylvania for rehabilitation near her family.
Uhter said she spent another month in rehabilitation and continued facing restrictions on walking and moving her leg after leaving the facility. Some of her skin grafts took months to heal.
“I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t sit up. I couldn’t stand. I couldn’t even really chew food or move my mouth at all,” she said. “It was a lot they had to do to make me better.”
During Friday’s symposium, medical professionals reviewed the emergency response, surgeries and intensive care treatment involved in Uhter’s case. George then surprised the audience by announcing that the patient they had been discussing was in the room.
Uhter addressed the gathering, recalling the personal attention she received throughout her hospitalization. She described caregivers who brought her food, decorated her room and found ways to make her long hospital stay more comfortable.
Afterward, several members of the medical team approached her to share their memories of treating her.
“They’re all like, ‘Oh, I helped you do this,’ and I really don’t remember,” Uhter said. “I was so out of it, but I appreciate all of them.”
For Kastello, revisiting the case brought back difficult memories of treating Uhter. He said the reunion also gave the many people involved in her care an opportunity they seldom receive.
“It’s a reward that we don’t seek, but we certainly love it,” he said.
Uhter has returned to work, writing and participating in haunted house activities. She recently marked the anniversary of the crash with what she called a “death day party,” celebrating another year of life.
“I think physically, I’m probably as good as I could be after all of that,” she said. “But mentally, I still feel like I’m catching up a little bit. I know everything’s probably fine, but I feel like I’m going to get there.”
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