08/09/2026
One year ago today, my entire life was flipped upside down when a distracted driver disregarded a yield sign and smashed into our vehicle head on. Both cars were going 50 mph with myself, my now husband justin, and our dog bayler inside the car. A truck against a little car… we didn’t stand a chance 💔 It’s a miracle that my iPhone detected the crash and called 911 the second impact was detected, completely saving my life. Otherwise, my doctors said if paramedics arrived even 30 seconds later than they did, i would have bled out (internally) at the scene of the accident.
Justin and I were separated and life-flighted to different hospitals. While thankfully I was unconscious for most of this and don’t remember the crash or much of the pain in the beginning, I was also admitted to the hospital under a trauma name and immediately rushed to the OR to begin a 6 hour surgery. Because of this, nobody knew where I was for several hours. You can only imagine the fear my family felt when they heard about the accident and were looking for me… calling every single hospital in the area asking if they had Samantha Fozio just for them to say “no, we don’t have her here.” - 8 days in the ICU, 15 days on the trauma floor, 23 days total in the hospital. It’s hard to comprehend not having a single memory of the crash no matter how much i try to think of it, but I know that’s just my brain protecting me.
While i’m sure most of you heard about how serious it was from either my mom or myself when you visited the store in those coming months, I was never able to share my full story on social media. I suffered a broken sternum, a broken kneecap, 6 of my ribs snapped on impact and were all overlapping each other causing my spleen to shatter into pieces and collapse my lung. I was bleeding internally, needed 4 blood transfusions, major exploratory abdominal surgery to remove my spleen and correct the bleeding, and my lung ended up collapsing twice resulting in 4 chest tubes (i will never forget that kind of pain) and another surgery a week later to clean out the blood and fluid drowning my lung and get it back up and clinging to my chest wall to function again. It still feels surreal saying that all out loud even one year later. The driver who hit us got to walk away from the accident with zero injuries.
I’m now immunocompromised for the rest of my life without a spleen, and I have lingering chest pain and breathing complications from the lung surgery that will also most likely effect me for the rest of my life, but we’re okay 💗 All 3 of us are okay and very lucky to be alive, and that’s really all that matters. But the most important part that I will also never forget? YOU guys!!!!! This community. All of you who rallied around me the second the news broke about the accident without a single hesitation. I get so emotional looking back on all the pictures of the chalk messages around the store, the endless cards and encouragement’s, the fundraiser, the prayers, all of it. You guys did that for ME! I am forever grateful to all of you 💗 You have no idea. I will never even have the words for it. August 9th will forever be burned in my memory but not just as a day this horrific accident happened, but a day that so much good surrounded me, my family, and my business…. so thank you 🥺
So while today is bittersweet thinking back to this accident that somehow already happened one whole year ago, it’s also the beginning of my favorite season 👻 If you know me, you know Halloween + Fall has always been my favorite, and after missing out on this entire season at the store last year, i’m EXTRA excited for it this year 🥰 Our collection is officially out in the store now (with new arrivals still coming weekly) and I really hope you come by to check it out!!!!!!
xo, sam
