A family trip to the west side of the state became tragic for Juana Osorio Pablo and her family in July 2024. They were in a car crash that caused multiple injuries for all and left Juana unable to walk for months.
Juana Osorio Pablo and her family walked away from this accident but retained lasting impacts.
The family is originally from Guatemala but relocated to Huron. They were five hours from home in Rapid City when the accident happened. Juana’s daughter was in the car as well.
Her mother said the child was unresponsive after the collision and looked like she was dead. Juana was pulled from the car by someone she didn’t know. Her stepfather and boyfriend were closer to the cars’ impact and sustained injuries that caused pain in their backs and legs. The injuries Juana’s mother received caused lasting pain to her stomach, back and chest area.
“It was an experience that we would never wish on anybody,” Juana said. “It really hurt us. It left us with a scar in our mind. Until now I still have trauma riding in cars. I feel like we’re going to make a wrong move and get hit again. It’s still traumatic to me.”
Fortunately, her mother had a friend in Rapid City who took them in providing food and a place to stay while Juana was in the hospital and her mother, boyfriend and stepfather recovered from their injuries.
“I was scared for myself and my family but especially for my daughter,” Juana said. “I had to correct my life. I thank God because truly he gave us a second life from the accident.”
Once her family members were physically back on their feet, they had more hurdles to overcome – the overwhelming amount of the hospital bills. Fortunately, a friend of her mother’s came to the rescue again by suggesting that Horizon Health Huron could help.
“We were overwhelmed by the bills, and we didn’t know what to do,” Juana said. “We came here for financial assistance and got the help that we needed.”
The family was referred to Community Health Worker Samara Contreras. She was able to assist them with filling out the necessary forms and guided them through the steps in the process they needed to gain financial assistance. Juana said Samara was diligent in caring for them throughout the process by going with them to appointments and sacrificing her own lunch hours to make sure they understood everything that was happening. Juana has a strong command of the English language but still needs a little help periodically when dealing with complicated forms and government bureaucracy.
“Samara was always kind, respectful and helpful for us,” Juana said. “Even though I know English very well sometimes I still need help filling out the papers. She taught us how to do that and took us to Social Services and showed us how to ask questions and fill out the forms.”
The family is still not free of the physical or mental effects of the accident. Juana has severe pain in her back and hips if she sits too long. Her daughter “freaks out” if she hears a loud noise, as if she’s still trapped in the moments the accident occurred. Having their bills taken care of has taken away one worry during their long recovery.
“It really helped us because it relieved us from a big stress that we were carrying around,” Juana said.
She’s grateful to Horizon for the help she received and the care she was shown by Samara and the other Huron providers.
“They will attend you with kindness and respect,” Juana said. “You can come to Horizon for anything you need.”