Single mother recovering after head-on collision by an intoxicated driver, according to CSPD
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - On Sunday, March 16, Melissa Nielsen is recovering in the hospital just a little over a week after a crash that changed her life. Nielsen was driving home from her friend, Aliah Leon's home on March 8. The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) says a driver that they believe was intoxicated drove into oncoming traffic, hitting Nielsen's vehicle head-on just after 11 p.m.
Leon says the moment she didn't receive a message from Nielsen alerting her that she'd made it home safe, she knew something was wrong.
"I checked my phone and saw that she was in the middle of the road at a live location, and my heart sank," recounted Leon.
Nielsen's location was on N. Academy Blvd. near Constitution Ave, where CSPD says the crash occurred. Leon says she and her fiance rushed to the scene, calling Nielsen every two minutes along the way. When Leon arrived she said what she saw made her think the worst.
"I thought she was dead. I thought she was dead. It was a sea of red, white and blue. There were so many vehicles. It just didn't make sense in my head that anybody had made it out of that accident alive, considering how many people needed to respond to it. It was heartbreaking," explained Leon.
Leon said that even Nielsen had told her she didn't think she was going to survive in the initial aftermath of the crash.
"She told her dad that she didn't think she was going to make it out alive, and she said goodbye to her dad," said Leon.
Despite breaking both legs, both ankles, her right kneecap, multiple ribs and puncturing her lungs, the single mother survived. Leon says she knows Nielsen's strength and that she'll be a fighter through the recovery.
"She's so strong as an individual. She's a single parent and a full-time student, and this accident had nothing to do with her. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," shared Leon.
Above all, Leon says Nielsen's 6-year-old daughter is what drives her to get through the pain each day.
"I think her daughter gives her strength to keep going and to fight. I think her daughter has always been that for her," explained Leon.
On Sunday, Leon shared with KRDO13 that Nielsen was able to see her daughter for the first time since she'd been hospitalized. Due to her young age, she is barred from entering the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), however, today Nielsen was released from the ICU to ongoing patient care and was reunited with her daughter.
CSPD confirmed to KRDO13 that an arrest warrant has been obtained for the suspected intoxicated driver. As of Sunday, March 8, no arrests have been made. CSPD says multiple charges are pending. Leon says the other driver was put in the hospital room next to Nielsen the night of the crash.
"We could hear them in the room over just screaming in agonizing pain. And as much as you want somebody to be held accountable for things that they've done to her, other people, you never wish that kind of pain on somebody and not somebody's family. And so, we wish her recovery. But we do hope that she's going to take accountability for the actions and the significant injuries that she's caused to Melissa. So we want her to be held accountable. But, in due time, she needs to recover the same way Melissa does. And once that happens, we do hope that she is persecuted and she is charged with the crimes that she committed recklessly," said Leon.
With a major onslaught of medical bills, Leon is raising money to support Nielsen during her recovery. If you'd like to contribute you can do so here. Leon says Nielsen will also need full-time care when she gets out of the hospital for rehabilitation focused on learning to walk again.
Aside from fundraising, Leon says she’s spent every second of free time in the hospital with Neilsen. Before the crash, Leon says the two were practically joined together at the hip in their classes at TIGI Hairdressing Academy and outside of class. Leon hopes that with the approaching Saint Patrick's Day holiday the community prioritizes their safety on the roads.
"I think especially with Saint Patrick's Day weekend, I hope that everybody drives safe and does not drive under the influence of anything. Stay safe, call an Uber or call a friend, because I would much rather pick a friend up that is intoxicated than have to go to the E.R. at two in the morning," said Leon, "And with the holidays coming up, I'm terrified that other people are going to be in this situation and could be less fortunate than Melissa to have not made it out of that accident alive."
