The Families Behind the Heartbreaking Mistaken Identity Case - Show Recap
Original Air Date:
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
The 2006 Taylor University Auto Accident:
On April 26, 2006 9 Taylor University students and staff were traveling back to campus from working at an event. While driving on I-69 a semi went through the median and hit the University van head on, killing 5 of the passengers instantly. During the aftermath of the accident, Laura Van Ryn's purse was found next to Whitney Cerak's body and the students were mistaken for one another.
Whitney was pronounced dead at the scene even though she was the student fighting for her life on the way to the hospital.
How Did the Mistake Happen?:
When Whitney's body was put on the helicopter for the flight to the hospital, the paramedics were told it was Laura Van Ryn that they were transporting. Whitney was what the staff called a level 1 trauma, which meant that there would be at least 20 people working on her when she arrived. Whitney had sustained a traumatic brain injury but was able to be stabilized and transferred to the ICU.
Laura's family was contacted and told to come to the hospital while officials worked to identify the bodies that had been taken to the morgue. Taylor University staff helped the coroner's office identify the bodies.
When the coroner signed the death certificate for Whitney Cerak, the official identity switch had taken place. The Cerak family was not asked to identify Whitney's body and Laura's family had no idea that the girl they were caring for was not their daughter.
The Cerak and Van Ryn Families Share Their First Moments:
Don and Susie Van Ryn and their daughter Lisa as well as Newell and Colleen Cerak and their daughter Carly were on the show to share their experience.
Susie received a call that night explaining that Laura had been in an accident and they needed to get to the hospital. When they arrived they were told that she would not look like herself - but they never suspected that it was not Laura. The family started a vigil that lasted for 5 weeks - taking turns, Laura was never left alone at the hospital.
Carly called her mother that night from campus to tell her their had been an accident but that she didn't know about Whitney - Carly called Whitney's cell phone, she knew that she was on the trip. Colleen was home alone since Newell was gone on a trip in Mississippi.
45 minutes after Carly's call, Colleen was contacted by the coroner to tell her that Whitney had died - friends flocked to her side to give her support while her family came home. 1400 people attended Whitney's funeral and her father even spoke at the service.
Whitney's Experience in the Hospital:
After 20 days Whitney started to come out of her coma and even then the Van Ryn family did not question her identity. Differences began to emerge such as a belly button piercing they didn't know Laura had, the way her teeth looked and so on - they blamed some of the changes on the accident. Larger signs such as answering Whitney when asked her name and a family friend questioning her identity at a visit stood out. When showed a picture of her friends "Laura" was able to name them all exciting the family - but when Lisa asked "Laura" to name her parents, Whitney answered Newell and Colleen - Lisa knew.
The Cerak Family Learns Whitney is Alive:
At 2am Colleen received a call from the coroner telling her that Whitney was alive - Carly thought it was a cruel joke and wanted her mom to hang up the phone. Colleen called a family friend to verify that is was real - the family then contacted their dentist, a family friend, to get records and were on the road by 3am. Colleen called Newell but told him not to think too much of it. When Colleen learned that the Van Ryn family had left the hospital, she started to panic, thinking there could be a chance it was all real.
Whitney Joined the Show:
Whitney joined the show, fully recovered, though she says that she views things differently now because the experience changed her. The events before getting into the van are all that Whitney can remember, but she says that she loves the Van Ryn family and that they took great care of her.
Faith allowed the families to forgive and heal and they were on the show free of anger and able to live through their experiences. Don had been contacted by a lawyer, but said that it wouldn't do the family any good to be vengeful.
The families described their experience in the book Mistaken Identity.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
The 2006 Taylor University Auto Accident:
On April 26, 2006 9 Taylor University students and staff were traveling back to campus from working at an event. While driving on I-69 a semi went through the median and hit the University van head on, killing 5 of the passengers instantly. During the aftermath of the accident, Laura Van Ryn's purse was found next to Whitney Cerak's body and the students were mistaken for one another.
Whitney was pronounced dead at the scene even though she was the student fighting for her life on the way to the hospital.
How Did the Mistake Happen?:
When Whitney's body was put on the helicopter for the flight to the hospital, the paramedics were told it was Laura Van Ryn that they were transporting. Whitney was what the staff called a level 1 trauma, which meant that there would be at least 20 people working on her when she arrived. Whitney had sustained a traumatic brain injury but was able to be stabilized and transferred to the ICU.
Laura's family was contacted and told to come to the hospital while officials worked to identify the bodies that had been taken to the morgue. Taylor University staff helped the coroner's office identify the bodies.
When the coroner signed the death certificate for Whitney Cerak, the official identity switch had taken place. The Cerak family was not asked to identify Whitney's body and Laura's family had no idea that the girl they were caring for was not their daughter.
The Cerak and Van Ryn Families Share Their First Moments:
Don and Susie Van Ryn and their daughter Lisa as well as Newell and Colleen Cerak and their daughter Carly were on the show to share their experience.
Susie received a call that night explaining that Laura had been in an accident and they needed to get to the hospital. When they arrived they were told that she would not look like herself - but they never suspected that it was not Laura. The family started a vigil that lasted for 5 weeks - taking turns, Laura was never left alone at the hospital.
Carly called her mother that night from campus to tell her their had been an accident but that she didn't know about Whitney - Carly called Whitney's cell phone, she knew that she was on the trip. Colleen was home alone since Newell was gone on a trip in Mississippi.
45 minutes after Carly's call, Colleen was contacted by the coroner to tell her that Whitney had died - friends flocked to her side to give her support while her family came home. 1400 people attended Whitney's funeral and her father even spoke at the service.
Whitney's Experience in the Hospital:
After 20 days Whitney started to come out of her coma and even then the Van Ryn family did not question her identity. Differences began to emerge such as a belly button piercing they didn't know Laura had, the way her teeth looked and so on - they blamed some of the changes on the accident. Larger signs such as answering Whitney when asked her name and a family friend questioning her identity at a visit stood out. When showed a picture of her friends "Laura" was able to name them all exciting the family - but when Lisa asked "Laura" to name her parents, Whitney answered Newell and Colleen - Lisa knew.
The Cerak Family Learns Whitney is Alive:
At 2am Colleen received a call from the coroner telling her that Whitney was alive - Carly thought it was a cruel joke and wanted her mom to hang up the phone. Colleen called a family friend to verify that is was real - the family then contacted their dentist, a family friend, to get records and were on the road by 3am. Colleen called Newell but told him not to think too much of it. When Colleen learned that the Van Ryn family had left the hospital, she started to panic, thinking there could be a chance it was all real.
Whitney Joined the Show:
Whitney joined the show, fully recovered, though she says that she views things differently now because the experience changed her. The events before getting into the van are all that Whitney can remember, but she says that she loves the Van Ryn family and that they took great care of her.
Faith allowed the families to forgive and heal and they were on the show free of anger and able to live through their experiences. Don had been contacted by a lawyer, but said that it wouldn't do the family any good to be vengeful.
The families described their experience in the book Mistaken Identity.
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