Women’s soccer player survives fierce car crash

Mary Byrne, the Lady Bobcats’ midfielder, is out of the lineup indefinitely, due to a severe car accident on Sunday, Sept. 24.
The GCSU women’s soccer team (4-4-2 overall) will not count on the sophomore to play for the important upcoming conference games. Byrne, an education major from Lawrenceville, is recovering from an operation on her ankle last week.
Byrne was traveling from her home to GCSU early Sunday morning, between 7 and 8 a.m., in order to catch a 12 p.m. bus to Cochran, to play a game at Middle Georgia Junior College. While on her way to Milledgeville, she fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a tree, fracturing her ankle in three places.  Byrne, who was driving alone, was knocked unconscious upon impact and was not found until several hours later. In addition to fracturing her ankle, Byrne also suffered a concussion and an injured right arm. It was reported that if she had not been wearing her seat belt, her life would have been in jeopardy.
“Wearing her seatbelt, saved her life,” trainer Paul Higgs said. “She hit the windshield pretty hard. She is lucky to be here, and we are glad to still have her with us. It could have been a lot worse. It is a good thing someone found her and called the police.”
Byrne went into surgery last week to repair her ankle. According to a medical report from Coach Michelle Parr, she went into a post surgery visit last Tuesday, Oct. 3. All parts of the operation checked well except for one. On one break in her ankle, the bone was out one millimeter. She had a second surgery last Wednesday to correct the problem.
Byrne will have a cast on her right arm for a couple more weeks. As for her ankle, it could take at least six weeks to heal, leaving her to resort to a wheel chair and crutches for mobility. The team expects Byrne to return Monday and be in class by Tuesday. The players have already found ways to help her recover, including her roommate and teammate, sophomore Hayley Ferrell.
“We call her daily and are constantly praying for her,” Ferrell said. “We are catering to her needs. We have arranged for her to move out of her apartment and into a house closer to campus. We just want to make her feel comfortable and get her back into the swing of things.”
Byrne will most likely not miss a season of eligibility. The Athletics Department will appeal to the NCAA for a medical red shirt to redeem this year’s eligibility. Byrne has played one full year and if granted the medical red shirt, will still have three years of eligibility.
“A player is allowed to play four seasons in five years,” said Brad Muller, Assistant Athletics Director for Public Relations. “If a player plays less than one-fourth of the games in a season, due to an injury, they can apply for a medical red shirt and not lose that year of eligibility.”
Byrne’s absence from the team will be felt, as she was one of only a few left footed players.
“She was playing well for us,” Head Coach Robert Parr said. “Someone will have to step up and fill the gap. We have a deep roster and we carry a lot of reserves.”
Byrne’s recovery is expected to begin immediately.
“Recovery starts as soon as she gets back,” Parr said. “It all begins with academics. She has missed two weeks of classes and it is important that she gets back on track with her classes.”
This injury marks the second time this season that a vital player has been benched due to intense operations.
“It is a fact of life that players are going to get sick or hurt,” Parr said. “Our injuries are unusual because they happened off the soccer field. But we have a deep roster and it gives someone else a chance to step in and make a contribution.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 6 2006. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry