NEW ORLEANS — A member of the New Orleans Police Department, and some of his family, are recovering from a serious car wreck.
Making it even more difficult on the family is it happened many miles from New Orleans.
We are used to seeing police cars race to wrecks to help others, but this time an NOPD officer, and some members of his family are the ones who need help. It was the Monday before Thanksgiving. NOPD officer Chadwick Taylor Senior 43, along with his mother Andrea Barnes, 67, had just picked up his son Chadwick Junior, 22, from college in Little Rock. It was his holiday break.
They were headed back to their New Orleans East home, but they never made it out of Arkansas.
“And a truck actually merged on and tried to make a U-turn. He cut them off basically, cut out in front of them, a 18-wheeler truck,” Chadwick Sr.'s wife, Sawan Godfrey-Taylor said.
All three have multiple injuries from shattered spleens, torn arteries, broken bones, and punctured lungs, and Chadwick Sr. has a head injury.
“He's just dealing with the side effects from it, the headaches, nausea, vomiting, you know, everything that comes along with a brain injury.”
Godfrey-Taylor is in Arkansas with them.
“It's just a constant everyday struggle, and I'm trying to keep it together for three people away from home. I have four other kids at home, who are with family in two different locations. It's just really, really hard,” she said.
Godfrey-Taylor's sister is there with her. She's thankful those in the car are still here too.
“The owner of the tow yard, he actually he brought me to my knees. He told me that the side of the lot where the car was at, was all fatalities. That kind of put it into perspective even more. So, we are blessed.”
She is grateful to the many NOPD officers, including Superintendent Ferguson, for the calls and encouragement. And leaves us all with this powerful reminder for Christmastime.
“Cherish your family and your loved ones. Don't take it for granted making it home every day. That's the only thing that I can say.”
The three are expected to recover, but it is going to take a long time. They are hoping there's a way to transfer Andrea to a hospital in New Orleans.
And there are many financial obligations. So, there is a GoFundMe page for the Taylor family.