NEOGA — On the night of June 8, Greenup resident Bianca Miller’s life took a turn she never expected.
The 21-year-old was riding in a utility task vehicle in rural Neoga with others when the driver took a sharp curve. The vehicle rolled over, throwing Miller, who was not wearing a seat belt or helmet, from it. The UTV then landed on her head.
Witnesses lifted the UTV off of Miller. When first responders got to the scene, she was unresponsive. ARCH 3 crew airlifted her to Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, where doctors stabilized her.
On Saturday, Miller reunited with the team of first responders who helped save her life from ARCH, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Neoga Police Department and Neoga Fire Protection District.
The reunion is something ARCH flight nurse Vanessa Horst said she rarely gets to experience.
“We hardly ever find out what happens to them. So when we do, it’s really nice to see what we did helped someone, which is always our goal,” she said.
Horst noted that Miller’s head injury was “very bad,” so it amazed her to see Miller walking and talking on Saturday.
“We don’t see that very often in these situations and very happy when it happens. (I’m) very happy to see her doing so well. She’s still got a long journey ahead of her, but she’s making good progress,” she said.
Neoga police officer Trevor Moore, who was first on scene with Cumberland County sheriff’s deputy Ashley Decker, was happy to see her recovery. Moore has responded to accidents involving all-terrain vehicles before but noted this one was pretty severe.
“It’s fantastic to see her up and moving. Doesn’t always turn out that way, so when it does, it’s fantastic to be able to see,” he said.
“It’s definitely a miracle,” added Decker.
Moore credited the team effort of all the responders for getting her the care she needed.
“Everybody played a part. Everybody did great that responded, from dispatch to EMTs to helicopter,” he said.
Miller’s family is also grateful.
“We have some good medical people out there that won’t give up, and they didn’t,” said Miller’s father, Jay Shunn.
“I’m really, really happy that everybody’s there to support her and support us through this whole thing,” said Miller’s mother, Stephanie Chapman.
“I think we’re very lucky to have her. If it wasn’t for this whole team of people, I don’t what would have happened,” said Miller’s grandmother, Jill Kelley.
Chapman thanked Cumberland County sheriff’s deputy Jerry Weber, who also responded to the scene, for being there for her following the accident.
“He held me, held my hand. We prayed together,” she said.
Miller was thankful beyond words for seeing the first responders and for their efforts. She doesn’t remember much from that night.
“I just remember getting thrown out of the side-by-side,” she said.
The left side of Miller’s skull was crushed. She suffered severe head trauma and brain damage, according to Shunn. She also suffered several fractures in her face, two broken bones in her wrist and a S-line fracture in her upper forearm.
Miller underwent surgery to reset several parts of her skull that were displaced. However, doctors were unable to save her entire skull, so she will have to undergo further surgeries to reconstruct it.
In the meantime, Miller must always wear a helmet to protect her head and have someone with her, even when she walks to the bathroom.
“She’s got to be monitored pretty much 24/7 unless she’s in bed. That’s why she has that belt on, so we can stay close to her if she tries to fall or something,” said Shunn.
The head injury has also affected Miller’s memory, particularly short-term, which Shunn said doctors aren’t sure she will regain.
“She could get a full recovery on her long-term. It could take up to roughly two years minimum for a full recovery,” he said.
Miller notes she is slowly making progress.
“I went to speech therapy Monday, and I remembered something I learned on Friday,” she said.
Chapman said her daughter improves every time she goes, adding that progress has been better than medical staff expected, especially from the condition she was in when she started recovery.
“She had to learn how to sit up, how to stand up, how to talk and swallow, like all of it,” she said.
Miller was a second-year student at Eastern Illinois University, majoring in Human Services, and a member of the Panther marching band before the accident. She hopes to eventually get back to school and play the flute again.
“She wants to get back out on that field pretty bad. She’s talked a lot about it,” said Shunn. “It’s going to be a long road.”