PORTLAND -- A Gresham teen who has been hospitalized since she was struck by a driver who was allegedly high on drugs in mid-April has given birth to a baby girl, her father told the Oregonian.
Bill Wilson told the Oregonian that his 19-year-old daughter, Cayla had an emergency ceserean section on May 22 and gave birth to a two-pound baby girl. He said that since then, the baby has gained more than one pound under the care of the neo-natal intensive care unit.
Cayla was five-and-a-half months pregnant when she was involved in the rollover crash on SE Jenne Road. The driver of the other car, 53-year-old Jack Dean Whiteaker, has since pleaded not guilty to assault, reckless driving and driving under the influence of intoxicants.
Background: Cayla Wilson seriously hurt in crash
‘It’s just a nightmare, the worst nightmare anyone can live through, “ said Bill Wilson, Cayla’s dad.
Bill said the family has been on an emotional rollercoaster ever since the crash, fearing that Cayla and her baby could die.
Doctors initially gave Cayla a one-percent chance of survival, but have since taken her off life support because she was able to breathe on her own. Still, she reamains heavily sedated and unconscious after several surgeries to reduce swelling in her brain, remove a blood clot and reconstruct her jaw.
The man who hit their daughter, 52-year-old Jack Whiteaker, had a significant criminal history, according to police. He was high on heroin at the time, detectives said.
More: Driver pleads not guilty
“It just makes me angry. It’s not fair, it’s not fair, “ said Cayla's mother, Denise Wilson.
