Delavan-Darien High School Class of 2013 alumna Kaitlyn Vegter knows she’s lucky to be alive today.
And she feels got a purpose now because of that luck — share her story of distracted driving to as many people as are willing to listen.
On Friday, Oct. 28, she got her first chance to speak publicly about her Jan. 7, 2016 accident, one in which she is still recovering from to this day. She was changing music on her phone — a mistake that took two seconds to make — when she plowed into the back end of a loader tractor on Highway 11 west of Delavan.
“If I can share my story and get one person to not do what I was doing, that would mean the world to me,” she said following an all-school assembly at DDHS where she spoke to the student body after a 6-minute video that explained her situation.
Vegter said she and her family are hoping to take their message to much larger audiences more frequently. They have plans to create a video with the UW Hospital in Madison and speak at next summer’s Lifefest Christian music concert in Oshkosh, Wis. Her ultimate goal is to get an appearance on “Ellen,” the daytime talk show hosted by comedian Ellen Degeneres.
Kaitlyn survived numerous brain surgeries and other procedures at both Mercy hospital in Janesville and the UW Hospital in Madison. Her primary surgeon “has said many times that she is a miracle,” Lisa Vegter, Kaitlyn’s mother said.
The family has kept the community posted on Kaitlyn’s recovery since the day of the accident using Facebook. Thousands in the Delavan-Darien community and beyond have patiently watched for posts and updates, and have prayed for little miracles every day as Kaitlyn worked to get better.
“We had a lot of people praying, and for whatever reason, she has recovered, and we are very thankful for that,” Lisa said.
“I think my reason is to be sharing my story and to be telling these kids (the dangers of distracted driving),” Kaitlyn added. “You know, I thought I was a pro (at driving). I’m trying to get these kids to realize (the dangers). I definitely was at where they’re at. We think the same way. And I did think that way. And I had to almost die to learn my lesson.”
School resource officer Brad Schroeder worked with the Vegter family, along with seniors Erin Penniman and Cassidy Dodge and Delavan-Darien School/Community Relations Coordinator Mike Heine to create the video and put on the assembly, The assembly also featured bike races with students and staff wearing “fatal vision goggles,” which simulate the effects of drunk driving and comments from Mercy emergency room physician Dr. Ken Hanson, MD.
“This event was to springboard and launch her story and make a difference,” with teenage drivers, Schroeder said.
To this day, 10 months after the accident, Kaitlyn is still going to therapy and cannot work, cannot drive and cannot go to college. She has to have someone with her around the clock and she cannot hang out with her friends as she once used to.
The Vegters’ story will make an impact. It really shows that kids and adults need to wear their seat belts, pay attention when on the road, keep their hands and eyes off their phones and to stay safe, Schroeder said. One simple mistake, like responding to a text message or changing your favorite tune, can create a lifetime of hardship or even end a life — yours or someone else’s.