Anh Nguyen, a hardworking mother of three young children, was nearly killed in a violent, three-car collision nearly 3 years ago, on December 10, 2008. Anh and two of her children were running an errand, traveling westbound on West Washington Avenue in Yakima, WA. At the same time, a 16-year-old driver was speeding eastbound on West Washington Avenue.

He lost control of his car, side-swiped another car, then crashed head-on into Anh's car.

With her children watching, Anh was removed from her car with the help of the Jaws of Life. She was rushed to Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, where she was diagnosed with multiple injuries including a broken left arm and a "Hangman's fracture" of her neck.

A Hangman's fracture is the name given to a fracture of the second vertebra in the neck (C2). This kind of fracture is called a Hangman's fracture since traditionally this hyperextension would occur during judicial hanging. A Hangman's fracture is unstable and often results in death.

Anh was given the choice of stabilization surgery or being placed in a Halo brace for four to six months. Anh chose to live with the Halo, which is connected to the skull with screws and holds the head in place without any movement of the neck. She wore the Halo for more than five months.

Before this collision, Anh was a hard worker at the nail salon that she and her husband, Waldo, own in Yakima. After her injuries, family and friends from as far away as Florida came to help with Anh's work, her home, and most importantly, to care for her children.

Anh's positive attitude and hard work helped her to deal with her injuries. While her work schedule is less than it was before her injuries, she is now back to caring for herself and her family, and working at the nail salon.

As a result of her injuries, Anh accumulated medical bills of nearly $87,000. Although her husband was able to keep the family business running, money was short. Abeyta Nelson was able to secure a $450,000 settlement for Anh that paid her medical bills and helped to support her family.