SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. — A mother is speaking out after her daughter was inside a vehicle that crashed into the side of Siloam Springs Intermediate School Sunday (Feb. 28) night.
Three people were inside the vehicle that smashed into the side of the school, and 18-year-old Desa Watkins was sitting in the back seat before waking up in a hospital bed. Her mother says until Tuesday (March 2) morning, Desa was on life support.
“Just thank God that she’s alive and that we're going to make it out of this,” Desaree Lewis said.
Desaree says it was a nightmare of an evening after she learned her daughter, who is a high school senior, was involved in a horrific crash.
“The trauma nurse at the hospital actually called and asked me if I was the mother and I said yes and they asked me to come down and identify and speak with them with what all had to be done with my daughter,” she said.
Desa is now in stable condition but has a long road to recovery ahead.
“She does a jaw that will have to be wired shut, she has a pretty good laceration around her face and a really big one across the top of her head," Desaree said. "She’s had some spline issues. They are doing X-rays on her shoulder to see if her shoulder is broken. We're waiting for some of the swelling to go down.”
Many, including Desaree, are still wondering what caused the vehicle to veer off the road and into the side of the school.
“I’m not real sure what happened, she was with some of her friends," she said. "I’m not sure what they were out doing. Living the 18-year-old life. It was a Sunday evening and I’m sure they were headed to another friend's house.”
Desaree says she's just thankful her daughter is alive and they are hoping to get more answers in the coming days.
“Tomorrow after her jaw is done they are going to take her off the sedations more so maybe she will be able a little bit more coherent to kind of fill us all in to let us know what happened with her,” she said.
Police say the other two passengers in the vehicle remain in critical condition.
Click here to donate to a GoFundMe account to help with Desa's medical expenses.