BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (AP) - Bay St. Louis Councilwoman Wendy McDonald is responding to voice commands and has squeezed the hands of family members a day after her head struck the ground when a car hit her in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
Bay St. Louis Police Chief Mike De Nardo said an 88-year-old driver hit McDonald on Monday because he accidentally tapped his accelerator rather than the brakes. The driver was not charged.
McDonald is hospitalized at Ochsner in New Orleans.
“She’s doing as good as could be expected,” her son, Ryan Rupp, told The Sun Herald (https://bit.ly/1SKMVqv ) on Tuesday. “She’s actually doing better than the doctors could have hoped.”
Though not yet awake, Rupp said she seems to be aware of her surroundings. Doctors are waiting for the swelling in her brain to lessen before performing surgery on fractures around her right eye and left ear.
Rupp said his mother was transferred from Memorial Hospital at Gulfport to Ochsner’s for those surgeries. At Memorial, neurosurgeon Emilio Tayag removed bone from McDonald’s skull to relieve swelling.
“Her brain had significant trauma,” Rupp said. “We as a family wholeheartedly believe that Dr. Tayag and the ER staff at Memorial saved her life. It was touch and go there for a minute.”
Rupp said friends and community members have been calling to find out how McDonald is doing. She not only serves as a councilwoman, but also as director of Habitat for Humanity Bay-Waveland.
“There are a lot of people concerned for her,” Rupp said. “She’s got tons of friends and contacts all over. I’ve been getting a lot of heartfelt words.”
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Information from: The Sun Herald, https://www.sunherald.com
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