May 8, 2015 - Sean Carter and his mother Jenny Carter spoke with students from Shelby County schools at the John D. Windham Civic Center on Friday, May 8, 2015 about the dangers of drinking
and driving with his program "When Sean Speaks." Just over 500 Center, Tenaha, Joaquin and Shelbyville students filled the main hall of the civic center to hear the dramatic story of how Sean received his injury from a drunk driving incident.
Jheri-Lynn McSwain, Shelby County Family Consumer Science Extension Agent, thanked Center ISD Superintendent James Hockenberry and Joyce Permenter, Administrative Assistant, and Center ISD for hosting the program. She also recognized Texas Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas Department of Transportation for providing the grant for the program and the Shelby County AgriLife Extension Leadership Advisory Board for sponsoring the program. McSwain introduced Jenny and Sean Carter.
As his mother began speaking, Sean in his chair awaits his opportunity to begin sharing his story which effects himself and his mother, as she now cares for her son 24 hours a day, seven days a week. She described her son as a male model with aspirations to be an attorney once he graduated college and said he was very much like any of the other students who were in the convention center before his injuries befell him, "He could have high-fived his friends, hugged his girlfriend, called me on the cell phone, but he made the decision one night and that night that he made a decision, life changed forever."
Sean was described as a good student who made good grades and would challenge his fellow students to do the same. When he attended community college he was on the Dean's list and made the National Honor Society for Small Schools and had direction in his life. He later attended Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls and during this time he was 22, and this is the time when tragedy occurred.
"On the way home the driver who had probably had two drinks for every one of Sean's drinks, lost control of the vehicle and it spun and slammed into a tree where Sean was sitting," said Carter. "Sean is not paralyzed, but he does have a traumatic brain injury and it left him unable to walk and unable to talk. He is a public speaker, however, and we are very honored to speak on behalf of Texas Department of Transportation and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service who fund our speaking."
Sean uses the aid of a computer to express himself and share his message from his wheelchair in which he says his choices put him and that he is now 32, "If I knew then that the decision I would make the night of March 27, 2005 would effect the rest of my life, putting me here in this wheelchair unable to walk or talk, you can bet I would have not done what I did. I was not doing anything wrong, so I thought. What I did is something too many people have done before me and many more will continue to do."
His mother always told him not to drink and drive and Sean says he thought he was always right. As long as he and his friends kept paying at the bar on the night he would receive his injuries, they continued to serve them, "We were on the way home, not five minutes from my apartment when the driver lost control of his truck and it spun and slammed into a tree on the passenger side. That is where I was sitting. Luckily the fire department was close so the emergency personnel arrived on scene quickly. They had to use the Jaws of Life to cut me out of the truck."
As a video played for the students to see, Jenny explained Sean's pelvis was fractured during the crash. He has more than 35 scars, and 18 pieces of metal in his body. Both of his lungs collapsed with the second one collapsing while in the I.C.U. and during that time he was also infused with 22 blood transfusions. She described what happened during the crash and that the occupants were in a bench seat.
"Sean was seat belted in. When the truck spun and slammed into a tree, that's where Sean was sitting, his side and that tree met. His body could not move in because the guys were there and the seat belt was on, so it shattered along his right side. He now has a long nail inside the femur, it's called an intramedullary nail. At the end of that bone is a round ball that goes into your hip socket, that was shattered so there's four screws in it. His right arm was broken, it has a plate with screws in it now. Sean's pelvis was shattered, that's why the bar was drilled into his hip," said Carter. "His bladder was ruptured, so he had a tube implanted surgically through his abdomen into the top of his bladder and then, guys, he had another tube in his penis to keep his bladder dry so it could heal."
She continued to describe Sean's injuries including lacerations to his liver and spleen. Exploratory surgery of his abdomen was necessary as he was bleeding from an unknown location. A feeding tube was necessary and he had to have a tracheotomy, "All of the injuries that Sean had, all of those that I explained to you, he could have died from that combination of injuries, but worst of all was this traumatic brain injury. He didn't get it from any blow to his head; nothing at all hit his head, but as the truck stopped his head continued to move quickly from side to side and when it did his brain rubbed up against the inside of his skull and caused an all over brain injury called a diffuse axonal injury. The young neurosurgeon that explained it to me said, 'I'm classifying it severe.' So he has a severe diffuse axonal injury and he said, 'My job is to tell you the worst, your job is to hope for the best.'"
Sean told the audience how he had been of the "that will never happen to me" mindset previous to his injuries and asked if the students really want to take that same chance, "Drunk driving definitely does cause horrible, tragic deaths. It has also left people like me wishing that we were dead at times. My mom used to have a job that allowed her to fly all over the country, after the crash she quit and now takes care of me 24/7. I thank God every single day because she did that to care for me."
He continued to tell the students what his life has been like since the crash and how difficult life became for him, "Once my mind started working again and I realized all that I was unable to do, life became a living hell. Here I am, a prisoner of my own body, maybe I am kind of used to it but at first I fought the devil with many thoughts of suicide. Trouble was, I couldn't figure out how, not because I didn't want to, but because there was no physical way for me to do it."
God was the focus of Sean's blame until he came to grips that his abuse of alcohol was responsible, not God, "Now, I know that he is in my corner, helping me with every breath I take."
Now Sean and his mother spend their time traveling around the country and sharing his message with everyone they can. His hope continues that he will one day regain his movement, "The very thing that keeps me going is I know there are people far worse. There is always an excuse for whatever it is, it doesn't mater, you just have to make a decision one way or another. It doesn't matter that I cannot walk, it doesn't matter that I cannot talk, regardless I'm ever the best that I can be."
Sean continued by focusing on the crime of drunk driving, "Everyone is so easy going about the crime of drunk driving, and that's the thing, it is a crime. Why don't we start treating it like one?"
During the program, Jenny Carter acknowledged the mother of Jordan LeBlanc, Sherry, who was present at the civic center for the program. Leblanc, who was from Timpson, lost his life in March 2014 due to the actions of another driver who chose to drive drunk. The other driver perished as well, "A year ago this woman's life changed forever too, but she lost her beautiful boy. A drunk driver hit him head-on and killed him, some of you may have known Jordan LeBlanc, his mom's at the back of the room. I cannot tell you how that hurts. You see that's why we do what we do. They aren't good old boys that are out on the road having a drink and sitting in their car. Of course they didn't mean to kill somebody, but they killed somebody or they maimed somebody. They are criminals and if you don't realize that, if you don't realize you are putting yourself in that position to become a criminal, a murderer then you need to wake up."
Just as last year when the Carters spoke in Timpson, together they are visiting 50 schools in Texas and sharing their story. Any schools interested in having the Carters present their program in the future and for more information on Sean and Jenny Carter visit their website at www.whenseanspeaks.com.
