Woman Who Survived Being Hit by Drunk Driver is Bryan Health Trauma Champion

Karli Byrd, a Lincoln woman who survived a motor vehicle crash after being hit by a drunk driver is a Trauma Champion at Bryan Health.

In December 2022, Karli was enjoying a Friday evening in southeast Lincoln. Shortly before midnight, she was driving north on South 84th Street. As she turned west on Nebraska Parkway, a southbound Dodge Charger went through the intersection and crashed into her. The driver was taken into custody after showing signs of impairment and registering a blood-alcohol level twice the legal limit.

Lincoln Fire and Rescue arrived at the scene quickly. Karli was alive, but unresponsive. Emergency medical technicians worked to extricate her from the badly damaged Honda HR-V. Karli was placed on a stretcher and put in the back of an ambulance on that cold winter evening. She suffered life-threating injuries, including a severe head injury and difficulty breathing.

Condition was Critical

“We knew immediately that she was critically ill,” said Scott Wiebe, fire captain and EMS supervisor, Lincoln Fire and Rescue. “We wanted to do a few things to stabilize the immediate life threats, which were to control her breathing, warm her up and get her to the hospital as soon as possible.”

Karli arrived at the Bryan Trauma Center as a category one patient, the most severe. A multi-disciplinary team of specialists continued life-saving measures. The 24-year-old’s primary injury was a subdural hematoma, a critical condition in which blood collects between the surface of the brain and skull. She was immediately taken into emergency surgery.

“What made Karli’s case so severe was the amount of swelling in her brain and extensive amount of bleeding,” said Dr. Chris Hawkins, neurosurgeon at Neurological and Spinal Surgery. “It was critical at that point. We needed to remove a portion of her skull to take pressure off the brain and give her a chance.”

‘Hardest Thing’

After the nearly two-hour surgery, Karli remained sedated in the intensive care unit (ICU). Karli’s mom Gail, a nurse in the cardiac cath lab at Bryan East Campus, arrived at the hospital in the middle of the night. She knew the severity of her daughter’s condition.

“When they took me to see Karli for the first time, I walked in and saw a girl that wasn’t my girl,” Gail said. “I just sat down, cried and begged God to save her. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to see. I truly felt like I was losing her.”

Karli spent days in the ICU at Bryan West Campus. She experienced severe episodes of neurostorming, a medical anomaly associated with brain injuries. The condition occurs when the body is overstimulated and cannot process the environment. During these instances, Karli’s blood pressure would skyrocket, and she’d sweat profusely.

Signs of Improvement

After several weeks, Karli slowly showed signs of improvement. Doctors intermittently reduced the amount of sedation to see what she could process. Eventually, she was able to track objects in her room. Then, she slowly moved her arms and squeezed hands. Finally, she moved to a chair, took small steps and spoke her first words since the crash.

Finally, after two full months in the hospital, Karli was well enough to be discharged to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital. There, she underwent three months of intense physical and occupational therapy. Karli had to relearn most everything, including walking and eating. In late October, she was well enough to return home. She continues with home and outpatient therapies, walking with only minor assistance from a cane. 

“Today, I feel grateful. That’s the main word,” Karli said. “It’s been a long road. There are hard, emotional days with therapy. But I feel good and didn’t come this far for nothing. My doctors and nurses played a huge role and I just appreciate everything they’ve done for me. I have more I want to do.”

Will to Survive 

Karli was recognized at Bryan’s Trauma Symposium at Nebraska Innovation Campus. The annual event provides trauma education to medical professionals to help them manage and treat trauma patients. She received a standing ovation for her will to survive and amazing recovery.

“The girl I have now is the girl I had pre-accident,” Gail said. “A very happy girl who just enjoys life, people and never stops smiling.”

Established in the 1970s, the Bryan Trauma Center has been at the forefront of providing care to critically injured patients in Southeast Nebraska. It’s the designated Trauma Center for Southeast Nebraska and lead hospital for Region II of the Nebraska Statewide Trauma System. Over 40,000 individuals have been saved, with 97 percent of all trauma patients arriving with signs of life, surviving. That figure rises to 99 percent with pediatric trauma patients.