In 2016, Indiana firefighter Beth Csukas was in a tragic accident. She was driving to go visit her sister when she slid on a patch of ice and collided with another car. She suffered from a traumatic brain injury that doctors feared she wouldn’t recover from. Now, despite all odds, Csukas is living her best life.
However, her Rat Terrier mix named Zoey ended up in a similar accident recently, which left Csukas hoping that her pup would be as fortunate as she was.
Zoey’s Accident
The incident occurred while Csukas and her mom were moving furniture out of the house. Zoey quickly snuck outside while her mom’s back was turned. By the time Csukas noticed her pup was missing, the little dog was already running down the road. It was any dog parent’s worst nightmare.
Unfortunately, Zoey ran straight into oncoming traffic. She was struck by a car, but the driver just kept on going. Luckily, Sean Owen witnessed the accident, so he rushed to Zoey’s side.
Despite being injured, Zoey was still terrified, so she kept running. Owen followed her down a road and into the woods until he finally caught up to her. He was extra careful when handling her.
“She was shivering and soaking wet,” said Owen. “There was blood on her paws. As soon as I got back to the car, I wrapped my shirt around her to keep her warm.”
Owen asked a neighbor who the dog belonged to, and he was directed toward Csukas’ home. Csukas was so relieved, but she had to quickly rush Zoey to the vet.
Two Miracles
Zoey had survived the crash with no broken bones or internal injuries. In fact, the only major problem that the vet noticed was that the dog had two different sized pupils, which could be the result of a brain injury. Csukas couldn’t help but relate it to her own accident from years ago.
When Csukas had been in a car accident, she suffered from a traumatic brain injury. At first, doctors were unsure if she would wake up from it. Even if she did, they guessed that she would never be able to walk or talk again. However, Csukas quickly proved them wrong and made a miraculous recovery. She knew Zoey could do the same.
Csukas is a huge dog lover. As a firefighter, she rescued many lost dogs for people in the area. So, she suspected that Zoey returning home with minimal injuries was like karma saying thank you.
Zoey quickly recovered, and now she’s back to her feisty self. Her pupils are back to normal, so she didn’t have any serious brain damage. However, Csukas is still recovering from her own accident, but she gets better each and every day. Lately, she has been taking Zoey for more walks around the block to push herself.
Since Zoey’s rescue, Csukas has reached out to Owen to properly thank him. The two of them have met up multiple times to socialize and of course, to play with Zoey. Car accidents are terrifying, but it’s incredible that a brave firefighter and her dog were both able to defy all odds. After all, our dogs are often more similar to us than we even know.
H/T: courierpress.com
Featured Image: @supportforcsukas/Facebook
Toledo, United States.
