Local accident victim recovering

Sybil VanDyke has a goal.

The 76-year-old, who broke her hip when she was hit by the driver of a van and suffered a stroke one day later, wants back her good health. Prior to the accident in the Boundary Trading Co. parking lot, VanDyke exercised three to four days a week and helped care for five of her grandchildren.

The Jan. 2 accident resulted in her needing a hip replacement. The stroke triggered by the trauma of the accident has left her confused at times and at a loss for words.

“I could carry on a decent conversation (before the accident),” she said. “I could talk to anybody. Now I just can’t get the words out.”

VanDyke stopped at Boundary Trading Co. for a few items on the day of her accident. While leaving the store at 12:20 p.m. with five cans of chicken noodle soup and a loaf of bread, she was hit by the driver of a van in the store’s parking lot.

“I was heading for my car and all of a sudden I was putting up my hand because this vehicle was hitting me,” VanDyke said.

It appeared she was struck with the front passenger side corner of the van and then the passenger side front tire ran over her right foot, according to Bonners Ferry Police. Caleb Clark, 20, of Bonners Ferry, was cited with inattentive driving.

VanDyke was taken to Boundary Community Hospital and transferred to Bonner General Hospital in Sandpoint before returning to the hospital in Bonners Ferry.  In all, she was hospitalized three weeks.

VanDyke continues to go to physical, speech and occupational therapy four days a week.

At this point, she doesn’t know how much therapy she will need and uses a walker for support.

“I’m expecting a full recovery,” she said. “I want to be back at Curves as soon as I can.”

Both VanDyke and her husband, Earl, are happy with the care she received at BCH.

“The therapists, all of them, are fantastic. They really are caring, compassionate and considerate,” Earl VanDyke said. “She was still really in bad shape when she came here.”

He also commended the hospital’s nurses, doctors, certified nurse aides and housekeeping.

“Everyone is just really above average,” Earl VanDyke said. “When they took her vitals, they would talk to her, not some artificial cheery talk.”

The VanDykes also are looking for a woman named Karen, who helped Sybil VanDyke after the accident.

“She told me her name as I was gripping her hand and she just stayed with me,” Sybil VanDyke said.

The couple can be reached at 267-7427.