Indiana
Doctors fight to save Indiana woman’s legs after she was trapped in car for six days
Doctors are fighting to save the legs of a woman who was trapped in her car for six days after crashing into a ditch in Indiana.
Brieonna Cassell, 41, was stuck inside her Ford Taurus for six days after her car wrecked into the ditch off a rural road in Newton County, Indiana.
After surviving the harrowing ordeal, the mother of three began treatment at the Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois.
When she arrived at the hospital, she had compound fractures and infections in both of her legs and a compound fracture in one of her wrists.
Cassell underwent surgery on Wednesday afternoon. Doctors are waiting to see if her infections are going to heal before they continue with further treatment and surgeries. If the infections in her legs do not heal, then doctors may be forced to amputate them.
Police believed she fell asleep behind the wheel of her black 2008 Ford Taurus and veered off the road while driving near the small town of Brook, approximately 80 miles south of Chicago.
Cassell crashed into a “very big, deep ditch” that couldn’t be seen from the road, her father, Delmar Caldwell, told ABC7 Chicago. He added that passersby couldn’t hear her cries for help from their cars.
“She was in excruciating pain. She was screaming out for help. She could hear cars going by, but they couldn’t see her from the road,” her father said.
The crash pinned her legs inside the vehicle and kept her from moving, but Cassell was resourceful and found a way to keep herself alive despite being immobilized.
To avoid dying of dehydration, Cassell put her vehicle in neutral, allowing it to slide further into the ditch, where she could then whip her cardigan out of her window to soak in the muddy waters around her car. She then sucked the liquid from her garment.
“She put the car in reverse and let it roll back down the bank to the water, so she could reach out,” Aaron Cassell, her husband, told WGN9. “She could only reach out with one arm to reach the water and then let it soak up in there and pull up and suck the water out of the hood.”
After six days, an equipment operator named Johnny Martinez spotted Cassell’s vehicle and reported it to his immediate supervisor, Jeremy Vanderwell, who is also the volunteer fire chief of the nearby town, Morocco.
Martinez and Vanderwall investigated the vehicle and found Cassel conscious. They then called for medical assistance. First responders provided initial treatment at the scene and then handed Cassell off to a life-flight helicopter.
Cassell’s family has set up a GoFundMe page to help the woman cover her medical bills. Lexie Cassell, Brieonna’s 23-year-old daughter, said her mother does not have health insurance. The fundraiser has brought in $13,000 of its $25,000 goal.
The high school basketball regional matchups and sites are set. Still more to come on recapping sectional week, including a wild championship Saturday night, but wanted to get out some initial thoughts and takeaways on the upcoming regional round.
Showdown at Southport
Pike vs. Mt. Vernon.
Is Caitlin Clark going to show up again? She should.
This matchup, set for Saturday at 4 p.m. at Southport Fieldhouse, is probably the headliner of the 4A regional slate. The first game was insane, as the two teams combined for a state-record 30 3-pointers in Pike’s 84-81 overtime win.
What do we have for an encore? Third-ranked Pike got through the more difficult Sectional 11 at Plainfield, defeating the fifth-ranked Quakers 56-53 on Friday, rallying from a 15-point third-quarter deficit. The Red Devils (23-3) played confident in a 79-68 win over a pesky and physical Brownsburg in the championship game, led by 17 points and four assists from junior guard Jahari Miller and three others in double figures.
The x-factor is Luke Ertel. Pike coach Jeff Teague, after Saturday’s win, called the Mt. Vernon senior “the best player in the state.” He will not find many arguments there. The Purdue recruit led the fourth-ranked Marauders (24-3) to the Sectional 9 title at Greenfield-Central with 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a 64-50 win over the host Cougars.
Not many better matchups (are there any?) around the state than this one.
The second game at Southport is interesting, too. Talented Lawrence Central (14-11) has won five in a row, including a 70-57 upset win over Lawrence North in Sectional 10 at Tech. Decatur Central (19-6) set a school record for wins and won its first sectional since 2005.
Class 4A north battle at Plymouth
You could make a case for Chesterton vs. No. 2 Crown Point at Michigan City, but to me the most interesting 4A north regional matchup is No. 6 Northridge (24-1) vs. No. 8 South Bend St. Joseph (21-4) at Plymouth.
Northridge and South Bend St. Joe are two dramatically different teams, which adds a little bit more intrigue to the game. Northridge won its first sectional championship in six years with a 48-37 win over Warsaw in the sectional at Elkhart.
The Raiders, led by senior and Indiana All-Star candidate Brady Scholl, leads the state in 4A in points allowed per game at 44.4. South Bend St. Joseph, last year’s 3A state champion, leads the state in scoring at 78.4 points per game.
That game is 7 p.m. at Plymouth, following the 4 p.m. Class 3A game between No. 6 Columbia City (22-4) and Hanover Central (12-14).
Intrigue at Greencastle
Fourth-ranked Northview is a really good 3A team. Anyone who watched the Hall of Fame Classic at New Castle can confirm. The Knights rolled to the Sectional 27 title at Speedway with a 64-43 win over Cascade behind an 18-point night from Trayven Buis and 17 from Quinn Lewis.
But I have my eye on Northview’s game against Roncalli (17-7) in the regional at Greencastle. The Royals came through a tough Sectional 26 at Greenwood, knocking off the host Woodmen 56-44 in the sectional championship. Roncalli is balanced and veteran and added a big piece to the puzzle with Joey Ortman returning from a back injury that cost him most of the season.
I think this has a chance to be one of the best games of the day anywhere in the state.
Doubleheader at Martinsville
Oh man. There are a couple of great matchups set for Martinsville.
The first, No. 4 Parke Heritage (23-4) vs. No. 5 Centerville (24-2) could potentially decide the Class 2A entry from the south in the state finals. It is a huge game, a rematch of Parke Heritage’s 47-41 win over Centerville in the same round last season.
We have written and talked quite a bit about Parke Heritage, which had its path stopped in the semistate the past three years. This could be the team to break through.
We have probably not written enough about Centerville, which steamrolled Hagerstown (85-57) and Shenandoah (66-36) to win the sectional. The Bulldogs have knocked off teams like Delta, Guerin Catholic, Liberty Christian and Pendleton Heights this season. Seniors Shea Hollendonner (19.7 ppg, 4.2 rebounds) and Landyn Keiser (11.1 ppg, 5.2 rebounds) are Centerville’s top players.
The second game also looks tantalizing. No. 3 Cathedral (21-5) defeated No. 10 Brebeuf Jesuit (18-6) on Dec. 5 by nine points, 71-62. It is a little surprising these programs have only met once previously in the tournament, a Brebeuf sectional win 25 years ago.
Brebeuf knocked off No. 5 Guerin Catholic 48-47 for the Sectional 25 championship at Frankfort and Cathedral took out Crispus Attucks 81-63 in the Sectional 26 championship at Broad Ripple.
Neither of these teams will be the favorite to come out of the 3A south – that is top-ranked Silver Creek (27-1) – but the winner at Martinsville might be the Dragons’ toughest challenger.
The Class 2A north
Loaded.
The Class 2A north bracket looks awesome. There are a couple heavyweight matchups in the regional – No. 3 Westview (24-1) vs. No. 7 Gary 21st Century (17-6) at North Judson and Blackford (20-6) vs. No. 9 Lapel (20-5) at Lapel (cue the complaints that Lapel gets to host a regional game).
Gary 21st Century, which beat Westview three years ago in the regional, is led by senior point guard Terrence Hayes Jr. (17.6 ppg, 6.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists), one of four players averaging in double figures. Kaden Grau (19.1 ppg, 5.1 rebounds) and Austin Schlabach (18.4 ppg, 5.5 assists) are standouts for Westview. Neither team was threatened in the sectional.
Blackford was challenged in the sectional, getting through Alexandria (62-54), Eastbrook (42-35) and Wapahani (49-39) in Sectional 40 at Eastbrook. Amarian Leggett (26.7 ppg, 4.3 assists) is one of the top sophomores in the state. Lapel has taken off since a 19-point loss to Oak Hill, winning 10 consecutive games. Owen Garber put up a cool 30 points in Lapel’s 77-54 sectional championship win over Sheridan in Sectional 39 at Elwood.
Here are the full regional matchups
Class 4A
- Chesterton vs. Crown Point at Michigan City, 8 p.m.
- Northridge vs. South Bend Saint Joseph at Plymouth, 7 p.m.
- Fort Wayne Snider vs. Carmel at New Castle, 4 p.m.
- Harrison (West Lafayette) vs. Homestead at Logansport, 4 p.m.
- Mt. Vernon vs. Pike at Southport, 4 p.m.
- Lawrence Central vs. Decatur Central at Southport, 7 p.m.
- New Albany vs. Castle at Southridge, 4 p.m.
- Columbus North vs. Terre Haute North at Greencastle, 7 p.m.
CLASS 3A
- Columbia City vs. Hanover Central at Plymouth, 4 p.m.
- East Chicago Central vs. Mishawaka Marian at Michigan City, 5 p.m.
- West Lafayette vs. New Haven at Logansport, 1 p.m.
- Delta vs. Blackhawk Christian at New Castle, 1 p.m.
- Brebeuf Jesuit vs. Cathedral at Martinsville, 7 p.m.
- Northview vs. Roncalli at Greencastle, 4 p.m.
- Evansville Bosse vs. Princeton at Southridge, 1 p.m.
- Silver Creek vs. Batesville at Charlestown, 4 p.m.
CLASS 2A
- Westview vs. 21st Century Academy at North Judson, 7 p.m.
- Bishop Luers vs. Bremen at Huntington North, 7 p.m.
- Blackford at Lapel, 4 p.m.
- Benton Central vs. Oak Hill at Frankfort, 4 p.m.
- Parke Heritage vs. Centerville at Martinsville, 4 p.m.
- Cardinal Ritter vs. Triton Central at Greenfield-Central, 7 p.m.
- Paoli vs. Linton-Stockton at Seymour, 4 p.m.
- Austin vs. Forest Park at Charlestown, 1 p.m.
CLASS A
- Fort Wayne Canterbury vs. Tri-County at Huntington North, 4 p.m.
- Triton vs. Marquette Catholic at North Judson, 4 p.m.
- Monroe Central vs. Southwood at Lapel, 1 p.m.
- Rossville vs. North Vermillion at Frankfort, 1 p.m.
- South Decatur vs. Hauser at Seymour, 1 p.m.
- Liberty Christian vs. Greenwood Christian at Greenfield-Central, 4 p.m.
- Barr-Reeve vs. West Washington at Washington, 1 p.m.
- Northeast Dubois vs. Bloomfield at Washington, 4 p.m.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Indiana lost to Ohio State Saturday evening at Value City Arena by a final score of 91-78.
The three keys to the game, highlights and final stats are below.
Ohio State led 50-33 at halftime. The Hoosiers were led in the game by Lamar Wilkerson with 18 points. Tucker DeVries added 17.
For Darian DeVries and Reed Bailey postgame, GO HERE.
Indiana will be the No. 10 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will play on Wednesday evening in Chicago.
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Abysmal defense. Ohio State torched Indiana’s defense. The Buckeyes started the game hot from the field and never really cooled down. For the game OSU shot 59.2% overall including 45.8% from three. But the first half was the real story, when OSU made 67.9% overall and 61.5% (8 of 13) from three. The live stats indicate the Buckeyes scored 1.56 points per possession in the first half.
2. OSU takes away the three. Take away the three, slow down IU’s offense. Indiana got up just eight attempts from long range in the first half and made just one. Yes, OSU made as many threes as IU attempted in the first half. Lamar Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries combined to go 0 of 5 from long range before the break. The Hoosiers came in averaging more than 51% of their field goal attempts from three, but took just 28.6% of their shots from beyond the arc in the first half. Things didn’t get much better after the break, and IU shot just 5 of 18 from deep for the game.
3. First half turnovers. Indiana added insult to injury in the first half with eight turnovers that resulted in 13 Ohio State points. Several of those opportunities resulted in live ball scenarios where the Buckeyes were able to score before IU’s defense was set. Seven different Indiana players had first half turnovers. Those miscues plus Ohio State’s hot shooting contributed to a 15-4 Buckeye close to the first half to give them their biggest first half margin (17) at the break.
HIGHLIGHTS
FINAL STATS
For complete coverage of IU basketball, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
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