To escape, you have to fight, and [my struggle] was maintaining my composure. I have experience in the military. I credit my training for helping me remain composed.
Ashley managed to remain composed in the heat of the moment, but she was unaware that her ribs were shattered and one of her lungs had collapsed.
She would have known she was running out of oxygen if she had been able to take a deep breath. “I wouldn’t be here now if I had panicked. “I firmly think so,” she said.
Ashley didn’t start feeling discomfort until rescuers arrived to aid her, and a chest tube was used to help her breathe when she was eventually taken off the Earth.
Following medical attention, it was discovered that she had fractured her collarbone, one rib on her right side, and all of her left ribs. A main artery had a “huge hole” in it,
And her spleen and 15–25% of her liver had to be removed. After spending around 30 days in the hospital and recovering for a year, doctors had to rebuild Ashley’s diaphragm and sternum.
Dr. Kramer, a surgeon who assisted in Ashley’s care, attributed her “positive outlook on life” in part to her successful recovery.
