A Strong Mind

Monday, September 16, 2019

Injured at OSU's Homecoming parade, Diana Rodriguez takes her mother's advice to heart

"Not only will I graduate, but I will walk — hopefully in heels — across the stage,” Diana Rodriguez said.

That might not sound like an extraordinary goal, but for Rodriguez, who suffered a broken spine, broken left leg and ankle, internal bleeding and head trauma in the 2015 Homecoming
crash at Oklahoma State University, it’s just that — extraordinary.

Rodriguez, a native of Colombia, was a graduate teaching assistant on a Fulbright Scholarship, working on her doctorate in industrial engineering and management at OSU’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. She was focusing her research on the application of quantitative models in humanitarian logistics, targeting recovery activities to better help affected people get to a “new” normal life. While she was working on her doctorate, her husband Cristian was also working on earning a master’s degree and Ph.D. in civil engineering.

October 24, 2015

That morning of Homecoming, Rodriguez made a snap decision to take her 22-month-old toddler, Jacob, “on an adventure.” Cristian wasn’t a fan of large crowds, so it would be just her and her son at the parade. The pair set off and eventually ended up sitting on Main Street, just south of Hall of Fame.

Jacob, a student at the Child Development Laboratory, wanted to see the fire truck. He had seen it often at the campus fire station and couldn’t wait to see it in the parade.

A moment later, everything changed. “I heard a terrible noise and turned my head to see human bodies and debris flying everywhere,” Rodriguez said. “And a car heading straight toward me and my baby.

“I didn’t have time to stand up to run, so I grabbed Jacob and threw him down on the ground to the right side of me,” she said. She shielded him with her body to protect him from the car that was about to plow into them.

She felt the vehicle run over her before losing consciousness briefly. When she came to, she was able to sit up despite her injuries.

“I saw Jacob next to me, crying. I don’t know how, but I was able to
grab him and put him on my lap. He was terrified, but he only had a few scratches on his face and arms. At that moment, I remembered what my mom used to tell me before she passed away. She told me that your mind should always be stronger than everything. My only focus was on Jacob.”

Sheer panic, confusion and chaos reigned at the scene. Rodriguez
managed to console Jacob and another child who was lying beside her with a broken leg. Her own leg was mangled, and her back was in excruciating pain.

“I could no longer sit because the pain was unbearable, so I had to lie down,” Rodriguez said. “When people asked me where I was hurt, I don’t know why, but I started talking in Spanish, and no one
could understand me.”

An “angel,” Mickey, was comforting her while another man fluent in Spanish was helping her communicate.

Cristian arrived shortly after that. He was distraught and couldn't
understand what happened.

“I remember at that moment, I thought if I’m going to die, it’s okay
because Jacob is with Cristian now,” Rodriguez said.

She was alert and able to talk, so medics transported other patients who appeared to be worse off — it ended up taking over an hour for her to get to the hospital in an ambulance.

At Stillwater Medical Center, doctors discovered her spine was
broken, she had internal bleeding, and her leg was shattered in multiple areas. She had to be transported via helicopter to St. John’s Medical Center in Tulsa for treatment. After one week in St. John’s and three weeks in the rehab unit at Stillwater Medical Center, Rodriguez was able to go home. 

Over the next four years, she endured four surgeries and years of
physical therapy. They would be a challenging four years for her family, but there would be bright spots, as well.

On September 25, 2017, the couple welcomed daughter Emily to the world. Like her big brother, she attends the Child Development Laboratory on campus. “She’s another miracle
because my injuries were still so bad,” Rodriguez said.

“I know it is amazing that I survived. I know it’s amazing that Jacob survived. I know it’s amazing that we had a daughter during all of this. But it’s so sad that four people died. They were not so
lucky to have a happy ending. We have a happy ending, but the families who lost Nash, Nikita, Bonnie and Marvin do not. I think about them every single day. I also think about all the other survivors and their families whose lives were changed forever.”

Still Moving Forward

It has taken Rodriguez longer than she originally anticipated, but she aims to graduate with her doctorate in fall 2019.

“I learned that it’s good to set goals, but sometimes you have to be flexible,” she said. “Every morning I look at something I have framed in my bedroom. It says, ‘We must be willing to get rid
of the life we planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us,’ by Joseph Campbell. I knew if I put my mind to it, I would do it.”

That strong mind advice from her mom holds a special place for Rodriguez. Each day is a challenge as she continues to heal. In spite of the tragedy, pain, sadness and loss, she will accomplish
what she set out to do when she receives her Ph.D.

“For me, the true hero in all of this is Cristian,” Rodriguez said. “He is my hero. He took care of our son, our home and me. He had to take care of everything.”

Rodriguez hopes to stay in Stillwater after she graduates. They are an OSU family of four now, and she sees this as their home. Cristian is a utilities engineer for Facilities Management Energy Services. Diana dreams of working in improvement processes
and optimization or perhaps teaching engineering students to develop soft skills. She can also see herself possibly working in a hospital setting, improving processes for patients. 

  

 

GIVING THANKS

Diana Rodriguez didn’t survive and succeed on her own. There is a long list of people she wanted to thank for helping her and her family.  “My family had great support from the IEM department and the OSU and the Stillwater community,” she said, continuing with her list:  “Marshall Dock, our friend who was with Cristian and Jacob while I was in surgery. Anne Terry, our angel who we consider Jacob’s and Emily’s ‘American grandma,’ Dr. (Sunderesh) Heragu, Dr. (Manjunath) Kamath, Dr. (Baski) Balasundaram, Dr. (Ricki) Ingalls, Dr. (Jennifer) Glenn, Laura Brown, Dianna Ross, Heather and Phil Lewis, the Civil  Engineering department, the CDL, the International Student Office, Karen Sebring, Regina Henry, the OSU health center, (Todd) Green, M.D., Mike Skouby, Lance Rice, the Family Resource Center, Enrique Sanchez, Stillwater Medical Center and its Foundation (and head) Scott Petty, Dr. Leva Swim, Facilities Management Energy Services, Cristian’s family, my family … so many people helped us.
There is not enough space to mention all of them!

“I do not have enough words to tell all the people who helped us thank you. I hope these special people see this story so they know how much they mean to me and to my family. They are angels. It was just the three of us, and we could not have gotten through this without everyone’s support.”