The story revolves around two young women, Whitney Cerrick and Laura van Wren, who were mistaken for each other after a tragic car accident. The accident occurred on April 26, 2006, when a truck driven by Robert Spencer veered off the road and crashed into their van. The van was transporting volunteers for a banquet at Taylor University in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Whitney, a freshman at Taylor University, was killed instantly in the accident. Laura, who was also a volunteer, was severely injured and spent several weeks in a coma. When she woke up, she was confused and unable to remember her own name or recognize her family. This led to a series of misidentifications, with Laura being mistaken for Whitney.
Meanwhile, Whitney's family was informed of her death. They held a funeral and buried her. However, when Laura woke up from her coma and was able to write her name, it was revealed that she had been misidentified as Whitney. This led to a series of events where Whitney's family was informed that Laura was alive, and Laura's family was informed that Whitney was dead.
In the end, it was confirmed that Laura had been mistakenly identified as Whitney. Laura's body was exhumed and reburied in Caledonia, Michigan, and Whitney's body was returned to Gaylord, Michigan. The two families forged a bond over this shared trauma and co-authored a book about their experience, titled "Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor."
The story ends with a dedication to the five victims of the accident by Taylor University and a mention of changes in Indiana's protocols and procedures for identifying accident victims to prevent such mix-ups from happening again.
1. The story is about an accident that occurred on April 26, 2006, involving a van carrying students from Taylor University and an 80,000-pound truck driven by Robert Spencer.
2. Whitney Cerrick, one of the passengers in the van, was killed in the accident, which took place on I-69 near Taylor University.
3. Laura VanRyn, who was also in the van, survived the accident with serious injuries and was in critical condition.
4. The Saric family, Whitney's family, was led to believe their daughter had died in the accident due to a mix-up with Laura's identification.
5. Laura's family was initially told that their daughter Laura had died in the accident.
6. After a week, it was confirmed that Laura had survived the accident, leading to a mix-up in the identification of the deceased.
7. The Saric family was shocked to learn that their daughter Whitney was alive.
8. Whitney's body was exhumed and reburied in Caledonia, Michigan, where the VanRyn family lived.
9. Robert Spencer, the truck driver who caused the accident, was sentenced to four years in prison.
10. The accident led to changes in Indiana's protocols for identifying accident victims to prevent such mix-ups from happening again.
11. The story concludes with the Saric and VanRyn families co-authoring a book about their experiences, titled "Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope".