Friends survive, thrive from crash

MILAN — This week, many area students return to college after a three-plus-month summer break. And for two locals, in particular, they tirelessly worked and patiently waited more than seven months for this very day — that was never guaranteed for either — so they could resume their studies. Second-year college students Jace Jeremay and Gavin O'Dell, both of Milan, recovered enough from a near-death experience and feel comfortable going back to Ohio University. Before traveling to Athens on Thursday, they and their mothers — Amy Jeremay and Tricia O'Dell — met up, reliving the most frightening incident of their families' lives. But they also celebrated the journey since then, realizing the many obstacles both young men overcame to regain their health and take back their lives. What happened? On Sunday, Jan. 12, one day prior to Ohio University's spring semester commencing, both Jace and Gavin traveled together, departing from Milan. The 2024 Edison High School graduates greatly anticipated starting the second halves of their freshman collegiate years. But they never did. With Jace driving his 2015 Chevy Silverado pickup, they ventured down Interstate 71 just south of Tanger Outlets by Polaris. It's there where a multi-car crash occurred. "We were just sitting there, talking and listening to music and, all of a sudden, I heard a screech from the other side of the road," Gavin said. "There was a car darting through the median, coming from the opposite side of the divided highway. That's when we got hit." Based on traffic reports and eyewitnesses, an unlicensed driver and undocumented individual — who's still wanted by authorities — collided, at a fast speed, into a black Hyundai Tucson driven by Michael J. Duncan, 35, of Cleveland. People can legally drive up to 70 mph on this stretch. The unknown driver who allegedly caused this crash then fled. Duncan's vehicle, which also contained two passengers, crossed the median, overturned, struck a cable barrier and collided head-on with Jace's pickup. The pickup then slid off the roadway. Only Duncan, who wasn't wearing his seat belt, died among all those impacted by the crash. "Driving that truck and wearing our seat belts is what saved our lives," said Jace, underscoring how neither he nor Gavin committed any traffic offenses. "I'm confident in my driving abilities. It wasn't my fault." Upon impact, Jace fell unconscious and doesn't remember details of what happened immediately thereafter. Gavin, however, who can still recount specific moments, recalled being trapped inside the car. "My ankle was stuck in the dash," said Gavin, noting it took first responders roughly 30 minutes, once arriving on scene, to free him. "I remember trying to call 911 — it was hard because my phone shot down to the ground — but it already could detect that we were in a crash and made the call itself." Gavin looked over to his left, noticing Jace's arm split open and gushing blood. Even though Jace couldn't respond, Gavin kept reassuring his longtime friend that, "It's going to be OK." Gavin kept repeating the phrase while the two remained lodged inside the vehicle. After freeing Gavin, emergency personnel rushed them both to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center in Columbus where doctors performed surgeries the next day. On that Sunday, Gavin did call Tricia, underplaying what exactly happened so as not to worry her. "I didn't want her freaking out," said Gavin, informing Tricia where paramedics transported him and Jace. But Tricia and her husband/Gavin's dad Bob, along with Amy and her husband/Jace's dad, Sam, began to connect the dots. On their nearly three-hour drive down, they processed information trickling into them. All four parents soon realized their sons had been involved in the very horrific traffic crash that closed down Interstate 71 for about six hours. "We heard about someone dying. We heard about the other injuries. We learned more about what happened to our boys," Amy said. "As a parent, it's the scariest moment: going down to a hospital, keep getting news that gets worse and worse and not knowing exactly what is going on. This was truly a parent's worst nightmare." Sam ended up speaking with the scene's tow truck driver, who — in his many years on the job — couldn't believe, after seeing Jace's truck in its mangled condition, how the two Milan men survived. "When he saw their car, he knew it was a fatality and thought, for sure, they died," Sam said. The long road to recovery Between their initial stays in Columbus — Gavin for one night, Jace for a week — through this summer, each man required multiple surgeries, a handful of follow-up hospital stints, several doctors' appointments and dozens of rehabilitation sessions. Here's a tally of their injuries: • Jace suffered a brain bleed along with compound fractures of both bones in his right forearm and a broken femur. He also sustained serious abrasions, and many pieces of glass shards got lodged in his hands. He ended up undergoing three surgeries: one each on his arm and leg in January and another on his leg in April. In total, he has at least 24 screws placed inside of him along with a rod and plates. "I couldn't walk or sit up at first," said Jace, noting he lost 30 pounds, shrinking from 195 pounds just weeks after the crash occurred. "I was going from lifting 60-pound dumbbells to not even being able to lift 1-pound dumbbells. I had to relearn how to walk. That's a very hard realization." • Gavin suffered a pilon fracture in his right ankle. On his right side, he also broke his fibula, tibia and snapped his heel. He ended up undergoing three surgeries. In total, he had 22 screws and three plates placed inside him. "I couldn't put any pressure on my right ankle and foot for four months, and I was on crutches," said Gavin, who had already sustained multiple major injuries while in high school: he tore his labrum, tore both of his ACLs and broke his hand in less than two years. "A week after my first surgery, it became really infected," Gavin said about his latest injuries. "They had to redo my first surgery. I had four rods sticking out of my leg." Because of the complex nature of their injuries, both needed to prioritize their health and put school on a temporary hold, which greatly saddened each of them. "I was pretty bummed, knowing I would have to miss my second semester, but I really needed to worry about relearning how to walk first," Gavin said. "I had a pretty good limp, and if you know Ohio University, you know there are a lot of hills there, and it's a trudge." Jace agreed. "We couldn't go back until our injuries healed enough to a point where we could walk again," Jace said. Deans of their respective colleges — Jace is a mechanical engineering major who aspires to become a mechanical contractor, and Gavin is pursuing a degree in business with his eye on entrepreneurship — understood their situations and didn't penalize them for temporarily withdrawing from classes. "Everyone at the school was fabulous and so understanding," Tricia said. "They told us they would help any way they could." So were those from the Milan-Berlin Heights community, both mothers said, with many rallying around their sons. "I can't tell you how many texts, gift cards, visits and phone calls we got," said Amy with Tricia nodding in agreement. "The support of our friends and our faith is what really got our families through this." An optimistic outlook Throughout the past seven months, both Jace and Gavin have experienced a wide range of emotions. They've been: • Mad about missing a semester at school with friends • Frustrated throughout the rehabilitation process • Depressed about their overall situations But now, by far and away, they're more grateful than anything else. "Yes, I'm still in pain, and I still have more physical therapy ahead of me, but I've been back to work since late June, and I'm going back to school, which makes it feel more normal for me," said Gavin, who works at Angry Bull Steakhouse. "But, even when I was first in the hospital, with my ankle facing the wrong way, I was thankful to be alive," Gavin added. "I now understand I can't recover from death, but I can recover from these injuries." Jace echoed those sentiments. "I still don't remember much from the first two weeks, but I was thankful to be alive," said Jace, who also returned to work as a laborer at Wilkes Plumbing & Heating. "This crash really changed my viewpoint of the world, and my mantra now is that 'It could be worse,'" Jace said. "Every time I think this sucks or I'm really hurting, I know what worse pain feels like, and I've survived it." Both said they've grown as better men from this incident, refocused, more driven than ever and eager to resume their lives as students. "I can't wait to get back to my classes, seeing some of my friends I have already made and look forward to making new friends," said Gavin, who will be returning to Ohio University separately from Jace. "And I want to work out the way I'm used to," said Jace, eager to drive again in his new truck. With such a negative situation, they both found a silver lining, opting to take an optimistic approach. "If we can overcome something so difficult like this, then we really can do anything we put our minds to and can overcome anything that we face," Gavin said. Both of their mothers marveled at their sons' outlook on life, appreciative they found ways to evolve instead of regress from this incident. Here's what each said about her son: • Tricia on Gavin: "I remember Gavin telling me, 'I'm OK with missing one semester, but I'm going back in the fall,' and we followed a plan where we could achieve that. He's remained positive throughout this. I'm very proud of him because this has been a very long process, and he has barely complained at all. If it were me, I couldn't be positive and upbeat like he is." • Amy on Jace: "Weirdly enough, Sam was in a really horrible accident about 16 years ago, and I've been through this before. True to form, just like his dad, Jace was stubborn but in a good way. He wouldn't take painkillers. He knew how much work it would take to heal and wanted to achieve those goals. He had his mantra of, 'It could be worse,' and that's how we looked at things. I couldn't be prouder of his work ethic and his stubbornness in the form of perseverance. It's what really got him through all of this."