After a motorcycle accident, Kristen Davison had a traumatic brain injury that involved facial fractures and bleeding in and around the brain. What began as a thrilling October ride to a motorcycle rally turned into a nightmare for Kristen Davison. Just two days after cruising down the highway with her husband and friends, she awoke in a hospital bed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and her world forever changed.

While on the highway, Davison’s friend was knocked down due to wind turbulence from a tractor trailer. Davison was maneuvering her bike to avoid hitting her friend when she flipped over, her bike landing on her head. Davison is one of more than 80,000 riders and passengers involved in motorcycle accidents each year.

An ambulance was riding behind Davison and was able to quickly get her to the hospital. At the UAB Hospital Emergency Department, physicians from the UAB Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery evaluated Davison and sent her for a CT scan. They found a subdural hematoma — a collection of blood that forms between the brain and the outer layer of the brain’s protective covering — and subarachnoid hemorrhage, blood between the folds of the brain. UAB neurosurgery was consulted, and Davison immediately went into emergency brain surgery.

“When we got to UAB Hospital, she was in and out of consciousness, and I had no idea if I was ever going to see her again,” said Justin Davison, Kristen’s husband. “Next time I saw her was after her surgery. She was on the ventilator, her face was crushed, and the reality of what happened hit me. I did not sleep until she woke up. At the time, we did not know how this injury would affect her memory, and I was worried she would forget me if I was not there.”

Davison had suffered a traumatic brain injury. She had a blood clot on the surface of the brain known as a subdural hematoma, evidence of bleeding in the brain, as well a few facial fractures. The blood clot caused pressure on the right side of her brain. The pressure needed to be relieved immediately to prevent worsening pressure on the brain, which can cause stroke, brain stem herniation, comatose, low respiratory function or even death.

“When Mrs. Davison arrived at UAB, she was following commands, which was a good sign; but given her injuries, her risk of worsening rapidly was significant,” said Kristen Riley, M.D., a neurosurgeon and professor in the UAB Department of Neurosurgery. “We knew that we needed to get her into the operating room to remove the subdural hematoma immediately to prevent further damage.”

In the OR, Riley performed a craniotomy and temporarily removed a bone flap from the side of the skull. She suctioned the blood clot and relieved the pressure in the brain. After the pressure was relieved, she secured the bone flap back onto the skull.

Davison suffered a traumatic brain injury. She had a blood clot on the surface of the brain. Her neurosurgeon performed a craniotomy to remove the clot and relieve pressure in the brain. “We felt really good about her prognosis and recovery,” Riley said. “Fortunately, Mrs. Davison was wearing a helmet during her accident. Her course could have been entirely different and potentially fatal had she not been wearing her helmet. It has been very exciting to see her make a good recovery.”

Head trauma is the leading cause of death for motorcycle riders. Research shows that safe, quality helmets reduce the risk of death by over six times and brain injury by up to 74 percent.

After the craniotomy, Davison was in a medically induced coma for two days. Once she became stable, she was transferred to UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center — a place Davison knew all too well as she served as a clinical administrative office specialist.

“After the trauma and neurosurgery teams stabilized Ms. Davison, our rehab team immediately started therapy interventions to engage her toward the path to recovery,” said Bobby Brunner, M.D., Davison’s physiatrist and medical director of UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center. “When Ms. Davison arrived at Spain Rehab, her main limitations included her balance, mobility, short-term memory and sequencing.”

Davison went through rigorous physical, occupational and speech therapy exercises that were led by her colleagues in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

“I am so grateful to work with so many people at Spain Rehab,” said Kristen Davison. “I felt like I was being taken care of by family. They supported me and my husband, Justin, throughout my treatment. Because I was so close to them, they knew my baseline. It helped them tailor my treatment to better serve me, and I am so grateful to every single person that cared for me.”

Outside of Kristen’s scheduled therapy sessions, Justin continued working with her on completing everyday functions such as brushing her teeth, and on her therapy exercises throughout the day until Kristin fell asleep.  

After the neurosurgeon relieved the pressure on Davison's brain, she secured the bone flap back onto the skull.“If Justin would have let me be lazy like I wanted to be, my recovery would have taken a lot longer,” Kristen said. “I could not have asked for a better husband or caregiver. He literally set the standard for how we want the family to be with the patient. He was my number one supporter throughout this entire experience, and I could not be more grateful.”

Kristin’s co-workers rallied around her and Justin and cared for them as if they were their own family members. They took care of Kristen to allow Justin time to sleep and made sure they had all the supplies they needed during their hospital stay. After 11 days of inpatient rehab, Kristen was discharged to continue outpatient rehab. Three months later, she was able to return to work at Spain.

“Patients who are admitted to inpatient rehabilitation after experiencing a brain injury can have a long road to recovery. She did exceptionally well. Most patients are not able to get back to their occupation. If they do return to their occupation, they usually find it hard to perform at their previous capacity,” Brunner said. “The fact that she was able to get back to work like she never missed a beat has been fantastic. I think this speaks volumes about Kristen’s family and her colleagues at Spain Rehab. Kristen’s rehabilitation process was a team effort between her care team and her family to better understand and learn what was best for Kristen during her recovery.”

UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center is home to one of only 16 nationally designated Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Programs. This designation recognizes UAB’s outstanding care to individuals with TBI, including emergency medical services, acute care in the hospital and rehabilitation expertise.