Architecture

Windsor teen describes aftermath of head-on crash on Freeway 3

By Letitia Mooney

  1. Local News
  2. Crime

Published Jan 11, 2023 • 3 minutes read

7 comments Sarah Viglianti, 18, of Windsor, shows the injuries she's still dealing with after her vehicle was struck head-on on Highway 3 on Oct. 11, 2022. Photographed Jan 10, 2023. Sarah Viglianti, 18, of Windsor, shows the injuries she’s still dealing with after her vehicle was struck head-on on Highway 3 on Oct. 11, 2022. Photographed Jan 10, 2023. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star

Windsor resident Sarah Viglianti, 18, can’t help but feel bitterness when she thinks about the driver who drastically changed her life in an instant.

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“I’m angry,” Viglianti said. “I’m so angry.”

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The collision happened on the night of Oct. 11 on Hwy 3 near Kingsville.

Viglianti was heading home to Windsor after visiting a friend in Leamington.

Her black Pontiac G6 sedan — her first car — was westbound on the two-lane roadway between Division Road and County Road 27, just before 9 pm

It was then and there that a sport utility vehicle in the oncoming lane attempted to overtake another vehicle — crossing the center line and crashing head-on into Viglianti’s car.

The wreckage of Windsor resident Sarah Viglianti's car after a head-on collision on Highway 3 on the night of Oct. 11, 2022. The wreckage of Windsor resident Sarah Viglianti’s car after a head-on collision on Highway 3 on the night of Oct. 11, 2022. Photo by Joey Viglianti

“The entire passenger side of my car was taken out,” Viglianti said. “I was told by police that if anybody had been with me in the car, they wouldn’t have survived.”

The Pontiac’s air bags knocked Viglianti’s glasses and nose ring off her face.

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When she regained her senses, she realized she was more hurt than ever before in her life. “Bones had come out of my right arm and my right leg.”

“I was in shock. The only thing getting me through was adrenaline.”

“Because of how badly I was stuck in the car, they had to wait for firefighters to pry me out. I was literally waiting in there with bones protruding from my body… I genuinely didn’t think I was going to make it.”

The crash scene on Highway 3 involving Windsor resident Sarah Viglianti's car on the night of Oct. 11, 2022. The crash scene on Highway 3 involving Windsor resident Sarah Viglianti’s car on the night of Oct. 11, 2022. Photo by Joey Viglianti

After she was freed from the wreckage, Viglianti was rushed to hospital for treatment. Along with the damage to her limbs, there was an extensive list of other injuries.

“I had a bruised heart, a collapsed lung, contusions on my lungs, a concussion,” Viglianti said. “The first surgery needed three blood transfusions.”

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Sarah Viglianti, 18, of Windsor, shows the injuries she's still dealing with after her vehicle was struck head-on on Highway 3 on Oct. 11, 2022. Photographed Jan 10, 2023. Sarah Viglianti, 18, of Windsor, shows the injuries she’s still dealing with after her vehicle was struck head-on on Highway 3 on Oct. 11, 2022. Photographed Jan 10, 2023. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star

Viglianti did not leave the hospital until November, when she was transferred to a live-in facility for two weeks of physical rehabilitation.

Although Viglianti is now living with her family in Windsor, her medical journey is far from over: she is still going through surgical procedures, some of which must be done in London.

Some pieces of bone in her right arm went missing from the impact. Doctors are attempting to remedy that by replacing them with bone material from her hip.

“It’s a process. It’s rough,” Viglianti admitted. “The surgeon for my arm thinks I’m going to have to deal with issues with my arm for the rest of my life.

“I have to get more testing for my leg. I still can’t lift my foot. Everything is still up in the air.”

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The wreckage of Windsor resident Sarah Viglianti's car after a head-on collision on Highway 3 on the night of Oct. 11, 2022. The wreckage of Windsor resident Sarah Viglianti’s car after a head-on collision on Highway 3 on the night of Oct. 11, 2022. Photo by Joey Viglianti

As for the lone adult male driver of the SUV, Viglianti said he did not signal or provide any other indication he was about to enter her lane. “As far as I know, he just pulled out into traffic.”

Justice proceedings have begun. The SUV driver’s case came up in provincial offenses court in Windsor on Monday.

The charge is careless driving causing bodily harm — the potential penalty for which is a fine ranging from $2,000 to $50,000, up to two years of imprisonment, and up to five years of driver’s license suspension.

For Viglianti, it’s not enough.

“It’s kind of garbage, for lack of a better word,” Viglianti said.

While Viglanti is grateful to have survived the collision, its effect on her has been far-reaching.

She lives with pain on a daily basis. There’s a possibility that injuries are permanently debilitating.

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The wreckage of Windsor resident Sarah Viglianti's car after a head-on collision on Highway 3 on the night of Oct. 11, 2022. The wreckage of Windsor resident Sarah Viglianti’s car after a head-on collision on Highway 3 on the night of Oct. 11, 2022. Photo by Joey Viglianti

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Her University of Windsor studies in English and teaching are on hold — interrupted in their first semester.

“This has really ruined a lot of things for me,” Viglianti said. “I’ve been diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression.”

Viglianti said she has never received any communication from the other driver.

She expects to provide a victim impact statement as the case continues in court.

She’s considering civil action.

“I really hope the justice system sends a message with this situation. It was a horrific incident,” Viglianti said.

For the driving public, Viglianti has a warning: “Watch out. You never know who’s in the other car.”

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