“I closed my eyes and thought to myself that this was how I was going to die. I was going to hit the telephone pole and that was going to be it,” recalled April Orloski.  April was hit head-on while heading east on Mayfield Road around 8:30 pm on September 28 when a drunk driver swerved left of center.

After the initial impact, April turned toward the car that hit her and saw how compacted it was. She shared,“My initial thought was that this man was dead and that I had killed him.” April then began screaming to the man, waiting for a response that he was okay.

April tried to escape her car but was forced to climb over to the passenger door. She then saw three coaches from Walsh Jesuit (Brad and Kalyn Seislove and Joyce Bowers) running toward her, asking if she was alright. April noted,“Throughout all of this chaos the coaches continued to check on me, and they were the only people I felt comfortable with because they were the first ones there and genuinely concerned with my well being.”

School president Mr. Karl Ertle first became aware of the incident when, on October 12, April sent an email to the Walsh Jesuit inbox thanking the coaches for their kindness in her time of dire need. She wrote,“The quick reactions and humanity of these individuals will be carried with me for the rest of my life, and I will never be truly able to express my gratitude to them.”

Senior volleyball player Maryn Shinaberry,who happened to be on the bus witnessing the entire accident, remarked, “All I kept hearing was the bus driver saying, ‘He’s swerving he’s swerving he’s going to hit someone!’… and we heard the crash of the two cars hitting each other. One car looked like a crushed soda can, and the other car was really busted up and had all the airbags out. It was eye opening and so surreal to see that happen right in front of our eyes.” Maryn remained on the bus with Coach Matt Seislove.

Coach Brad stated,“As we looked up and saw the damage in front of us, we called 911 and Coach Bowers, Coach Kalyn and myself got off the bus to see what we could do to help… As the EMS, police, and fire department arrived, we did what we felt was right. We stayed with and offered comfort to April in what was a horrific situation.”

Coach Kalyn added,“We did what anyone who is a part of the Walsh Jesuit community would do, offered assistance to someone in need. Even if the only assistance we were able to offer was a phone call to alert the proper people, comforting words, and just being there for someone.”

Three weeks after the incident, April reflected, “If you would have asked me before this accident what I would have done in this situation, I would have told you that I would have dragged this guy out of his car and beat…him, but that is exactly how I would have felt. I have no tolerance for drunk driving.”  April’s car was totaled, and she had severe whiplash, a bruised tailbone, and a very sore knee which hit against the dashboard.

Drunk driving is one of the leading causes of death and severe car accidents in the US. April gives this advice to students and people of all ages: “Please don’t drink and drive. The person that hit me was a grown man in his 30s who was also about five minutes from where he lived and was probably on his way home, too. When you hear stories of people being hit by drunk drivers you always think ‘Wow, that is horrible,’ but you never really think that it can happen to you. Believe me when I say it can happen to anyone. Never would I have imagined that I would be hit by a drunk driver, nor did I think it would happen to me until that minute when it occurred.”