A Minnesota mom has been left thankful for her life following a freak accident when part of a car wheel flew through her windshield.
In August 2020, Katie Olsen, 41, was driving down a two-lane highway with her son in the back of the car. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the journey at first, until she reached the intersection.
Olsen was driving at 55 miles per hour, and there was a large truck driving parallel to her in the other lane. As they reached the intersection, a 3-inch lug nut came off the truck’s tire and flew straight in Olsen’s direction. She told Newsweek that it flew through her windshield “like a bullet” and went into her face.
“I can remember hearing an extremely loud bang,” Olsen said. “When I came back to, I saw all the blood on the steering wheel and could feel it pooled in my lap. I didn’t know what happened, but I knew I needed to pull the car over and park.”
Olsen’s son was uninjured, and he recalled that his mom continued driving “for about 30 seconds” after impact.
At first it wasn’t clear what had happened as the lug nut had pierced Olsen’s face, and then likely came back out through her mouth. After that, it rolled under her driver’s seat, only to be found at a later date.
A lug nut is a large, rounded nut which goes over a heavy bolt, often used to attach a wheel on a vehicle to its axle.
“I sustained an open Le Fort III fracture, as well as a broken jaw and eye socket, several broken teeth and facial scars. I continue to receive treatment for a TBI, Trigeminal Neuralgia and PTSD,” Olsen continued.
As a result, Olsen’s face had to be “stitched back together,” and her facial structures needed to be reattached and stabilized with metal plates. Olsen’s dental team also had to rebuild her jawbone with cadaver bone grafts, wire her jaw shut, remove broken teeth, and stabilize ones that became loose.
Olsen was unable to chew or eat any solid foods for months after the incident. Added to her list of over 30 procedures, she’s also had to undergo sinus surgery to fix the numerous complications of her injuries.
She said: “The first three years of recovery was mostly getting and recovering from surgeries. I continue to receive treatment for my mental health and medical conditions. It has been a long, difficult journey.”
Five years after the incident, Olsen is grateful for her life. She is continuously thankful for all the medical experts who have helped with her recovery and enabled her to reach this point. Now, she raises awareness for the importance of torquing lug nuts, in the hopes of preventing others from going through a similar experience.
On the fifth anniversary, Olsen shared a video on TikTok (@abundantlyrooted) showing the lug nut that flew into her face, and urging people to take precautions. The video has gone viral with over 1.4 million views and more than 194,000 likes on TikTok at the time of writing.
The caption alongside the clip reads: “Torque your lug nuts! Then retorque after 50-100 miles.”
The online response to her video has been overwhelmingly positive, as many people showed their support and thanked Olsen for her important message.
Olsen told Newsweek: “I want to raise awareness about the importance of torquing and retorquing your lug nuts any time your tire is removed from your vehicle. That is not only about your safety, but the safety of others on the road. You can injure or kill yourself or others.
“I want to thank everyone who has helped me over the past five years. The good Samaritans that stopped to help, the first responders, plastics team, dental team, therapists, family, friends, community and strangers.”
Olsen’s experience has stunned many internet users, leading to more than 2,500 comments on her TikTok post so far.
One comment reads: “Wow! Who would ever think that could happen?! I’m glad you are OK.”
Another person wrote: “Thank you. I just realized i need to retorque my lug nuts after getting brakes done. I appreciate you.”
While one commenter added: “And new nightmare unlocked…”