Back from the dead

This is a truly heartbreaking story out of Indiana...

About a month ago, a group of students from Taylor University were involved in a van crash. Four students and a faculty member were killed, three of the van occupants were treated and released, and the fourth survivor has remained in a coma at a local hospital.

The girl only recently came out of the coma, and that's when her "family" realized that she wasn't the right girl. As late as Monday, she was saying things to them that didn't make any sense and that's when they finally decided to check the dental records.

Whoops!

To be fair, the girls do bear a striking resemblance to each other. They're both blonde with similar chins, builds, and hair textures. The family of the one girl didn't look at her body before they buried it, and the other was clinging to the belief that their daughter was spared. But the question remains: How horrifying was this crash that it would disfigure a girl to the point that she wouldn't be recognized by her own "family"? Moreover, if there was any doubt to the identity of the crash victims, why wouldn't a DNA or dental record comparison be run at the time that the body was in the coroners office? This way, the parents of the dead could grieve their daughter properly (and bury her in her hometown) and the parents of the living could help nurse their daughter back to life.

Despite the mix-up, both girls were mercifully taken care of and loved during the time they were away from their families. The dead girl was given a proper burial, surrounded by feelings of love and support; it may have been for another, but her parents can sleep at night knowing that the burial rites were performed and that their daughter was embraced in death by someone. The living girl has had a constant stream of visitors and support (both in person and online) as she has slept and recovered, and her parents can sleep at night knowing that their little girl was never abandoned.

This incident highlights the importance of having access to and actually using dental and/or DNA records in a time of need. This wasn't 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina, it was a car crash. The occupants of the vehicle were all known and yet two were still misidentified. If the proper tests had been performed on at least one of the girls in the early days of the aftermath, the mistake would have been found when the hurt was still raw and when the parents had not yet begun to heal. By waiting this long, the rug has been pulled out from under both families and the journey begins again.