{"id":81287,"date":"2025-04-16T10:57:26","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T16:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=81287"},"modified":"2025-05-05T06:30:41","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T12:30:41","slug":"inspiring-recovery-after-traumatic-snowmobile-accident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/inspiring-recovery-after-traumatic-snowmobile-accident\/","title":{"rendered":"An inspiring recovery after young woman nearly died in a snowmobile accident"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Dancing
Dancing is Annika Piccaro’s first love, and the joy and physical challenges of dancing have helped her heal after she survived a terrible snowmobiling accident in southwestern Colorado. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon, for UCHealth. Location courtesy of Elemental Studios, Denver, Colorado.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of all the exams that Annika Piccaro ever faced, her most daunting test occurred outside the classroom when a devastating snowmobile accident pushed her to work harder than she ever had so she could receive her Colorado College<\/a> diploma in front of family and friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was lying in that hospital bed, I thought a lot about graduation. I promised myself I was going to walk across that stage. I didn\u2019t care if it was assisted, with a walker or with a cane, but that was my big goal. It ended up that I didn\u2019t need a walker or crutches \u2013 I just walked by myself. It felt so good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Annika
Annika, center, proudly holds her diploma from Colorado College in Colorado Springs, with her family at her side. The true achievement was not just earning the diploma, but walking across the stage to receive it after a traumatic snowmobile accident a year earlier nearly took her life. Photo courtesy of Annika Piccaro.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Her college campus in Colorado Springs is a long way from the snowy backcountry in the small town of Rico, 30 miles south of Telluride, where Annika suffered a terrible accident on Jan. 1, 2024, that plunged her into a year\u2019s worth of operations, recovery and rehab.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s taken me a long time to return to normal. My body felt so foreign to me. But I\u2019m comfortable in it again. I have this vessel, and it\u2019s so strong, and I can trust it fully again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking back, she had no idea that when she set off for a fun day with old high school friends, her life would change forever.<\/p>\n

Back for winter break at her home in Durango with her family, Annika, then 21, was having fun with some high school friends. They were \u201cskijoring,\u201d a Norwegian word for ski driving, an activity that began in Scandinavia as a transportation mode during harsh and snowy winters. It originally entailed skiers being pulled by horses and dogs and has since evolved to using other modes of transportation such as cars, motorcycles and snowmobiles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was with all my hometown best friends that day. It was clear skies and a beautiful day, a bluebird day, gorgeous and warm and we were wearing T-shirts. It was about 1 pm.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the San Juan mountains towering in the background, Annika was at the wheel of the snowmobile with a friend sitting behind her as they pulled a group of friends. Unfortunately, the snowmobile was not responding well to her steering in the conditions. One of the last things she recalls before the accident was trying to turn a corner, but the machine wasn\u2019t having it.<\/p>\n

Heading toward a drop-off, she steered left to avoid it, but the snowmobile didn\u2019t respond and lurched 10 or 15 feet into the air. Her friend managed to jump off, but the snowmobile went sailing with Annika still on board.<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard the screams of my friends, and I remember that my brain just froze. I didn\u2019t even have any thoughts or negative reactions. I blacked out for a second, and I woke up with this machine against my side. I started screaming, \u2018Get it off me.\u2019 I couldn\u2019t see or move. I was stuck and being crushed by it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The snowmobile had landed on top of Annika, crushing the right side of her body.<\/p>\n

A friend quickly popped off his skis, scrambled down the hill and was able to pull the snowmobile off of Annika. The first thing she did was wiggle her toes to make sure she wasn\u2019t paralyzed.<\/p>\n

Pumped up with lots of adrenaline (\u201cit\u2019s crazy how much of a pain killer that is,\u201d) she hoped she\u2019d just dislocated her hips and would be fine. But then she tried to move the rest of her body.<\/p>\n

Her friends, though scared, remained calm. They did not try to move her and held her hand and talked to her. She credited them for helping save her life by doing all the right things during a traumatic situation in the backcountry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t crying or screaming; I think by then, I was in shock. I was concussed a little and had to keep reminding myself every 30 seconds where I was. But I always thought I was going to be fine. I had such an overwhelming sense of trust in the universe, and I just knew that deep down that I was going to be OK. Some part of me told myself to calm down.\u201d<\/p>\n

She then turned to her friends and told them to call 911 \u2026. and her dad.<\/p>\n

\"Annika
Annika, a spirited and adventurous young woman, gracefully returns to her passion for dance after overcoming a traumatic snowmobile accident. Her resilience and love for life shine through every movement. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon, for UCHealth. Location courtesy of Elemental Studios, Denver, Colorado.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

‘I\u2019m not afraid of anything’<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Annika was always on the go growing up, and movement played a huge part in her life as a \u2018mountain kid.\u2019 She did competitive dancing and spent a lot of time with her family outdoors, camping and backpacking amid the beauty of southwestern Colorado.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not afraid of anything,\u201d she said. \u201cI definitely grew up adventurous and very much a free spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Annika
Annika Piccaro, alongside her supportive mother Michele, celebrates her remarkable recovery after a traumatic snowmobile accident. Photo courtesy of Annika Piccaro.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She chose Colorado College for the variety of its extracurricular activities as much as its academics, and she studied computer science while she also taught and choreographed dance.<\/p>\n

During her winter break, a day of skijoring with friends was right in Annika\u2019s wheelhouse.<\/p>\n

The town of Rico is about an hour northeast of Cortez, the closest city with a hospital. But the area where the accident occurred was further away, on a remote back road, not easily accessible.<\/p>\n

A stroke of luck after a crushing snowmobile accident<\/strong><\/h2>\n

But in a stroke of luck \u2013 or divine presence, according to Annika \u2013 the group happened to be on the property of the head of the local volunteer search and rescue unit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI basically crashed into his backyard,\u201d she said. \u201cThere were volunteers out there in 15 minutes, which was lifesaving. Otherwise, I probably would have bled out if I would have had to wait for an ambulance to arrive from Cortez.\u201d<\/p>\n

Volunteers loaded her into a truck and started driving her to Cortez as feathers from her down jacket filled the cab and stuck to the blood in her hair. Halfway there, a hospital ambulance met them to take over the transport to the ER, where Annika\u2019s dad, John, a rural primary care physician, was waiting.<\/p>\n

Having seen his share of emergency accidents, he was immediately alarmed when he saw the angle of her feet and the extent of her injuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were terrified,\u201d he said. \u201cBeing a doctor, there were times that I felt like I knew too much about what could have happened and might have gone wrong. But she is so strong, so powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Annika
Annika’s strength and determination helped her overcome a snowmobiling accident that shattered her pelvis, fractured her sacrum and caused severe internal injuries. She is now back to dancing, using her passion for movement to further her recovery. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon, for UCHealth. Location courtesy of Elemental Studios, Denver, Colorado.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Annika was critically injured with a pelvis that had been crushed and nearly obliterated by the weight of the snowmobile.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they did the first X-ray of my pelvis, they said I might die. I had lost half of my blood volume during the past two hours. Here I was, thinking I was fine. I thought I had dislocated my hips and would be on crutches.\u201d<\/p>\n

Transported by a helicopter, then an air ambulance to get more help<\/strong><\/h2>\n

After she was stabilized, Annika was taken by helicopter to a larger hospital in Grand Junction. Her friends lined up on either side as she was wheeled in a gurney to the chopper, but she was in too much pain and nauseous from the pain meds to speak. With a suction tube in her throat so she wouldn\u2019t choke on her vomit, she flew with the pilot and a flight nurse to her next stop.<\/p>\n

At Grand Junction, she would receive six units of blood (in addition to the three she\u2019d had in Cortez) and have her pelvis bound to slow its bleeding and immobilize it. She also had a chest tube inserted to help her breathe, as one of her lungs had collapsed.<\/p>\n

But Annika\u2019s injuries were so severe she would need the medical skills and expertise of a Level 1 trauma center.<\/a>\u00a0 That meant one more leg in her exhausting trip to get her the help she desperately needed.<\/p>\n

A few phone calls later, she was on a medical flight to Denver, where an ambulance would transport her to UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a> at the Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew deep down I would end up in Denver. Unfortunately, rural Colorado does not have the expertise to deal with the kind of injury and trauma I had,\u201d she said. \u201cI was so tired on that flight, but I was worried that if I closed my eyes, I might die, so I stayed awake.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was the only time during her ordeal that her thoughts took her to such a dark place.<\/p>\n

Kind nurses and the first of many surgeries on the path to an inspiring recovery<\/strong><\/h2>\n

That night at Anschutz, it was a blur of lab tests, scans and blood work as her medical care team hurried in and out of her surgical trauma intensive care<\/a> unit room. She was stable enough to wait for next-day surgery, allowing time for her parents to arrive. During that long first night, she credited the UCHealth care team for staying with her. One nurse gently washed her hair, still strewn with feathers, while a second nurse braided it when it was clean.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember feeling so safe even though I had no family there. It was really comforting. The nurses stayed with me the whole night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Annika
Annika with her mother, Michele, during her hospital stay at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. Annika’s recovery included multiple surgeries, intensive care and rehabilitation after a snowmobile accident shattered her pelvis and caused severe internal injuries. Her strength and determination, along with the exceptional care she received, helped her overcome these challenges. Photo courtesy of Annika Piccaro.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Her parents were grateful for the important role UCHealth staff played in Annika\u2019s recovery, beginning on her first day.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody knows how painful and hard it is for these patients to experience what they\u2019re experiencing,\u201d said Michele, Annika\u2019s mom. \u201cTo come back from near death and pain of a pelvic fracture, losing half her blood, and going through PT when every movement hurts. I don\u2019t know how you capture it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Said her dad: \u201cI kept thinking: \u2018What\u2019s next? What is the next hurdle she has to go through? How are we going to help her through this?\u2019 But she trusted and had faith in the team that was taking care of her and let them do their job.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next day, 24 hours after her accident, Annika had the first of many surgeries to piece together her smashed pelvis. Her injuries were extensive: more than 60 jagged bone fragments were scattered throughout a complex system of pelvic nerves that caused excruciating pain.<\/p>\n

She also had injured her sacrum, the bone that connects the base of the spine to the pelvis, had seven stable vertebral fractures and had broken several ribs. Internal damage also included a partially devascularized right kidney, a severe injury that means the kidney\u2019s blood supply has been disrupted.<\/p>\n

Annika was looking at a long rehabilitation process \u2013 daunting even for a young, spirited and competitive woman like herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it clicked in my brain then what recovery was going to mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Annika
Annika, now 22 and a college graduate. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Annika faces surgery and rehab, then more surgery and more rehab<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The pelvis is the ring of bones located in the middle part of the body that supports our upper weight, providing the stability that allows us to stand, walk, run and move. It also contains a vast system of vascular support, as the arteries there \u2013 six in the female pelvis \u2013 supply blood to nearby tissues and organs, as well as blood to the lower limbs. Those organs for women include the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix and bladder.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe had a pelvic ring injury but a very complex one with multiple fractures around the pelvis, along with bones that were broken very significantly and no longer attached,\u201d said Dr. Nicholas Alfonso<\/a>, Annika\u2019s orthopedic surgeon at UCHealth.<\/p>\n

The surgeries she would undergo were complex because the bones had to be stabilized and precisely realigned with plates and screws on the back and front of her pelvis to prevent future pain and ensure her gait would be as normal as possible, said Alfonso, who is also an\u00a0assistant professor<\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a>. The shards of bones around all the pelvic area nerves had to be cleaned up as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of nerves in that area that can sustain damage in a traumatic injury, and there\u2019s a substantial amount of blood as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

After her initial surgery and a few days recuperating, Annika went to the UCHealth rehabilitation unit.<\/a><\/p>\n

Two days after the surgery, she managed to sit up \u2013 a feat so painful she nearly passed out. In the following weeks, she began intensive daily physical and occupational therapies.<\/p>\n

She progressed from barely being able to move her legs and lower body to transitioning to a chair with help, and then slowly being able to put weight on her legs. Standing for 10 seconds and then 30 and then being able to walk with the assistance of the parallel bars.<\/p>\n

Annika\u2019s therapists encouraged her to work harder than she thought possible.<\/p>\n

\"Annika
Dancing has become a form of physical therapy for Annika following a devastating snowmobiling accident. Photo by Cyrus McCimmon, for UCHealth. Location courtesy of Elemental Studios, Denver, Colorado.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cHer doctor said she could stand on her own,\u201d recalled Kalina Caudillo, one of Annika\u2019s UCHealth rehab physical therapists.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cShe said, \u2018Are you sure?\u2019 Then she did it, and it was a game changer. She felt so good and progressed to stepping with a walker,\u201d Caudillo said.<\/p>\n

Annika and Caudillo, a former college dance team coach and ballet dancer, bonded over a shared love of dance. Their rapport and trust built each day.<\/p>\n

\u201cPatients like Annika want to succeed for themselves, their family and also for you, and it becomes a beautiful relationship,\u201d Caudillo said. \u201cShe was so motivated she was going to succeed no matter who saw her, but when you have that human connection, that makes it so much more special. When she walked on her own, oh my gosh, I was in tears, and we were hugging. It was so awesome. \u201c<\/p>\n

The feeling that her therapists had for Annika was mutual.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved them,\u201d she said. \u201cThey were trying to get me back to normal. The beautiful thing about Anschutz is I generally enjoyed my time there because I was surrounded by fantastic providers. I had such trust in the system, the plan and what all my caregivers were telling me.\u201d<\/p>\n

After leaving the hospital, Annika returned for another surgery as she raced to heal in time for graduation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Fifteen days after the accident on Jan. 16, Annika rang the bell on the rehab unit floor, heralding the end of her stay there, and she was able to go home. With a bag full of stuffed animals, armfuls of flowers and surrounded by family and friends, she left, albeit 30 pounds lighter, but determined to get back to her previous life.<\/p>\n

Home in Durango, with a new front door ramp that friends had built while she was recovering, a future filled with what seemed like endless rehab was daunting. She was required to stay in a wheelchair for two months to allow her bones to start healing.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy friends were back at school, and while I knew how lucky I was. Still, it was the hardest thing I\u2019ve ever been through. I\u2019m tough and dedicated, but without the support system I had, it would have been really dark.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, after a few days, she noticed she was losing function in her left leg. She returned to Anschutz and underwent a laminectomy, a spinal surgery that entailed the removal of part of the spinal bone to help relieve her back and nerve pain.<\/p>\n

Annika left the hospital but soon returned when she developed a hematoma (a pool of clotted blood) at the site of the spinal incision. Finally, by mid-February, she was ready to head home again.<\/p>\n

\"Annika
Annika Piccaro and her family celebrated her collage graduation last year. Annika’s injuries were so severe during her senior year of college that she wasn’t sure she would be able to walk across the stage to collect her diploma. Family, friends and strangers rose to cheer Annika when she collected her diploma last May. Photo courtesy of Annika Piccaro.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Back home again, but itching to get back to campus life and walk across the stage to get her diploma<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Back in Durango, Annika dedicated herself to unrelenting physical and occupational therapy. She also began walking outside on her own with trekking poles. Soon, she was driving again, which restored her sense of independence, but she wanted more. She missed college life, especially all the fun that comes with senior year.<\/p>\n

Her professors at Colorado College were very supportive during her convalescence: She had enough credits to graduate, and they told her not to worry and to focus on healing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love my parents, but a lot of my autonomy had been taken away so quickly. I wanted to go back to Colorado Springs so I could be with all my best friends. No classes, just PT and hanging out with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

She soon returned to a bustling off-campus house. There were festivals, music events, a prom and parties (along with PT and lots of naps) \u2013 all forcing Annika to build stamina and grow stronger to keep up with her peers.<\/p>\n

When her May 19 commencement arrived, she was more than ready. In front of family and friends, she practically sailed across the stage and accepted her diploma.<\/p>\n

\"Annika
Annika Piccaro at graduation. Photo courtesy of Annika Piccaro.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cShe never wavered in her goal to heal as best she could,\u201d her dad said. \u201cWe would say, \u2018Be limitless within your limits, and the limits will continue to expand.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Annika\u2019s mom thinks the accident has matured their daughter beyond her years.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has always worked hard and seized moments to enjoy life, and this was no different. Miraculously, she will live almost the life she had before. One little wrong turn and her outcome could have been very different.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the road to recovery: A job, volunteering and perhaps a new direction in life<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A year after her accident, Annika, now 22, isn\u2019t pulling anyone on skis. She\u2019s got them on herself as she is back on the slopes with confidence, courage and no pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he first saw me, Dr. Alfonso said: \u2018In a year, we are going to get you skiing.\u2019 I thought to myself, \u2018You\u2019re crazy!\u2019 But when you go through something so traumatic, there was no other option for me but to trust him and everyone who helped me and believed in the work they were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Annika,
Annika, right, got to enjoy a spring ski day in April of 2025 with her doctor, Nicholas Alfonso, left. As Annika endured months of challenging surgeries and rehabilitation last year, Alfonso reassured Annika that she would recover well enough to ski again. And the snowboarder promised to join his patient on the slopes. Photo courtesy of Annika Piccaro.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She had another surgery in December to remove the hardware from her pelvis and then had to spend a night in the hospital to remove another hematoma. This one developed in her abdomen. Now, she is hopeful that she\u2019s done with surgeries and hospital stays.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce everything is healed, the plates and screws are no longer needed as the body is healing itself and is much more durable than anything I could ever do,\u201d Alfonso said. \u201cAnnika went through so much, but she is on her way to living her life and doing all the things she loves to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

She is still a regular at Anschutz, but for a different reason now: along with her software engineer job, she volunteers in the same surgical trauma ICU unit where she was a patient and is pondering a career in medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Anschutz so much. I want to help people and give back to the institution and to the people who healed me. I\u2019d like to be there for others going through traumatic accidents who might not have the support that I did. It can be isolating, and I want them to know they are not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

She is diligent, disciplined about PT and continues to get stronger while her family wants her to take the time to enjoy life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want her to get some of that innocence and joy of youth back because this past year took a lot out of her,\u201d her dad said. \u201cShe had a battle, a lot of loss, and she will continue to face some challenges going forward.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

For Annika, she just wants to be a \u201cnormal\u201d 22-year-old.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a second chance at life. I am so grateful to hug my family and feel sunshine on my face. I survived because I was an active mountain kid, and I want to run and ski and bike and dance because I can. But just as importantly, my fiercely positive attitude saved me and helped me heal so thoroughly. Last year was far from normal, but I have such gratitude, happiness and joy in the mundane because I get to experience the gift of being alive.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Of all the exams that Annika Piccaro ever faced, her most daunting test occurred outside the classroom when a devastating snowmobile accident pushed her to work harder than she ever had so she could receive her Colorado College diploma in front of family and friends. \u201cWhen I was lying in that hospital bed, I thought […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2357,"featured_media":81792,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7],"tags":[235,3329,3155,277,3372,183,130,565],"class_list":["post-81287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","category-stories","tag-emergency-care","tag-inpatient-rehabilitation-and-therapy","tag-level-i-trauma-center","tag-metro-denver","tag-orthopedic-trauma-and-fracture-surgery","tag-orthopedics","tag-rehabilitation","tag-trauma-services"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAn inspiring recovery after a traumatic snowmobile accident - 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