'How did I survive that?' Buffalo man reflects on year following near-fatal car accident

The Thanksgiving season looked a lot different for the Wendlandt family last year.

Jason Wendlandt, his wife Ashley and their two children, Brock and Jaley, are able to sit around the same table for Thanksgiving this year. In November 2022, Jason Wendlandt was over 760 miles from home, undergoing rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado.

On an early October morning last year, Wendlandt survived a near-fatal car accident while driving home from work. Wendlandt, who was 43 then, sustained a Chance fracture affecting the T11 and T12 vertebrates, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. For two months after the accident, he underwent rehabilitation at Craig Hospital.

In May, the News-Leader visited the Wendlandts at their home in Long Lane, seven months after Jason's accident. At the time, Wendlandt's former employer, travel nurse agency Next Move Healthcare, was maintaining a GoFundMe fundraiser for the family. The fundraiser's goal was $20,000, to help fund the purchase of hand controls for the family's handicap-accessible van and an Action Trackchair, an all-terrain wheelchair.

Although the GoFundMe fundraiser has yet to reach its goal, when the News-Leader visited again in mid-October, the family had been able to purchase both hand controls and a trackchair.

The Wendlandts were able to make these purchases because of a community-wide benefit auction held for the family in May. Wendlandt said more than $10,000 was raised for them.

The family purchased the hand controls, which allow Wendlandt to operate the van's gas and break pedals with his hands, in June. Although he didn't remember the specific price, Wendlandt said the controls cost somewhere between $6,000-8,000.

"(It's) been a blessing because I can go and do as I see fit, which is awesome," Wendlandt said.

As for the trackchair, which allows Wendlandt to ride around the diverse terrain of the family's property, Ashley's brother helped locate it later in the summer. Wendlandt said his brother-in-law met with a young man in Ava, who sold the family the trackchair, a powerchair (a standard motorized wheelchair), and a lift and sling.

Although Wendlandt's current powerchair can be used outside, he said it tends to sink in soft ground, whereas the trackchair's thicker wheels prevent this.

"That (trackchair) will go anywhere, and it's kind of scary at times," Wendlandt said with a laugh. "That thing will climb straight up a wall if it wants to. It's really awesome and nice to be outside."

Wendlandt added that he's looking forward to riding the trackchair out on the family's property during deer season.

A flash before his eyes

Wendlandt does not remember the details from his accident; the last thing he can recall is clocking out of work around 7:30 a.m. and getting into his Jeep for the drive home.

Although Wendlandt claims he didn't feel tired, he said he must have fallen asleep behind the wheel. From what he's been told, his Jeep hit a culvert in a driveway, which sent him airborne through a resident's yard.

The day before the one-year anniversary of the accident, the Wendlandts were sitting at their church, Buffalo Bible Baptist Church, when Jason had a one-on-one experience with his pastor, Jerry Bone.

"Our pastor was on the stage, talking and he looked right at me and said, 'Brother, it's just you and me right now. I remember a year ago today we stood in this building and we had a big conversation about your role that you were going to take with the youth. I remember that like it was yesterday, but God had different plans, because (the next) morning, you had your wreck,'" Wendlandt said. Before the accident, Jason and Ashley had made plans to manage the church's youth program.

"While he said that, and I've not seen it since, I've tried to think about it ... my entire wreck flashed in front of my eyes," Wendlandt continued. "It was the weirdest thing ever. It was like I was standing in the roadway and I watched my entire wreck happen. It brought me to tears because like what in the world? How did I survive that?"

Wendlandt said he hasn't had the same experience since that day at church.

Buffalo Bible Baptist Church has been a continuous supporter of the Wendlandts over the past year. Church members helped finish construction on the Wendlandts' new house while Jason was at Craig Hospital last fall and improvements are continuing to be made at the church to make it more accessible.

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Wendlandt said the church has modified the front row of pews to accommodate wheelchairs, added a powerlift to the main stage and paved a ramp and landing outside the church's only fire escape exit door.

This fall, Jason and Ashley are picking up the duties they couldn't last year: leading the church's youth program.

Family navigates new normal

At the time of the accident, Wendlandt was working as a travel nurse. The job provided the single income for the family, as Ashley was completing her final chemo treatments. Ashley was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2021 and is grateful to be cancer-free as of Oct. 31, 2022.

For much of the past year, the Wendlandts have lived on federal disability checks, with some support from Brock and Jaley, who were working and helping out financially.

Recently, Ashley and her sister took over the bridal shop in downtown Buffalo, formerly Nora Emerson Bridal. The pair purchased all of the inventory from the shop and are renting a different building downtown, with the new name Lauren's Bridal & Formal Wear.

Jaley has also opened her own teen and tween clothing boutique, while finishing out her senior year of high school. She manages the boutique, Wings of Faith Boutique, in Shady Oak Marketplace in Buffalo and online.

"My goal is to stand"

As of October, Wendlandt was not attending physical therapy anymore, per his physical therapist's guidance. However, he was dealing with excessive swelling in his legs, which he was working to minimize with compression socks.

Despite this physical setback, Wendlandt is keeping his eyes on long-term goals.

"My goal is to stand. I'm a realist; I don't think I'll ever walk again," Wendlandt said. "My left foot does not cooperate with me. There for awhile I could push and pull on it, but I can't do that anymore. My left side, I can lock my knee a lot of times if I push down on it. I can also lock my right knee, so by locking knees I'll be able to stand up."

Wendlandt said he recently tried to pull himself up to stand using the railing on his front porch, but the railing wasn't the right height for him. However, it seems like Brock has arranged a system that may work.

"My son bought a weight rack that he put out there in the shop, so he's trying to figure out a way and I think he figured it out now," Wendlandt said. "He's got the catch rack on the bottom. He said, 'We'll move (that) up to the top. We'll put the bench bar up there and you can reach up there and I'll get behind you and if you can pull yourself up, I'll make sure your knees will lock.' That's the next step, trying to get me to stand up. That's all I want to do."

Although he doesn't plan on returning to a career as a nurse in the field, Wendlandt said he is interested in returning to school for his BSN so he can eventually teach.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Buffalo man Jason Wendlandt reflects on year after near-fatal accident