Crash Survivor: A Resilient Senior's Inspirational Journey to Graduation

“Unforgettable.” That’s how senior Maddie Mansell describes her experience at UNT Dallas. “I would not change a thing,” she said, looking back on the past two academic years and looking forward to receiving her diploma next month.

It’s a miracle that Mansell will be crossing the Commencement stage without crutches, a walker or a wheelchair. Not only has she tackled the challenges that come with college, but she has overcome an obstacle that never could have been predicted.

“I remember being in the car, laying on my back, looking up at the ceiling,” Mansell recalled, describing the scene of an accident that killed one her best friends. “I felt numb from the neck down.”

Crash and Consequences

In August 2021, when Mansell was about to start her junior year in high school, a back-to-school shopping trip turned tragic. “I got a backpack, a notebook, we were on the way to my house,” Mansell remembered. Her neighborhood has wide streets with long stretches along homes with large lots. It was a teen driver’s temptation. “My friend (at the wheel) wanted to see how fast she could go. She apparently didn’t brake in time, we went into a ditch three houses down from mine.”

Mansell was critically injured. She suffered a fractured spine, shattered pelvis, broken legs, ribs, and right arm. “I had even tried my luck on that stretch before,” Mansell said, acknowledging the rush and the risk of speed. Four other teens were also hurt.

At the site of the wreck, a neighbor ran to the rescue. Then Mansell’s parents and grandmother arrived. She was in and out of consciousness. “My mom was talking about school, asking my about classes, trying to get my mind off” what had just happened, Mansell said.

She remembers the sound of the medivac helicopter’s blades. Then things went black, until Mansell woke up in the Methodist Hospital emergency room, where her clothes and jewelry were removed and  doctors determined the scope of her injuries. She was taken into surgery for nine hours, indicative of how seriously she had been hurt. Doctors were concerned that Mansell might be paralyzed or disabled because of the damage to her back and neck. 

Hospital Heartache

“My first recollection of pain is when they moved me out of ICU into a different room,” Mansell said. Then she learned her friend has died. “They waited a few days to tell me,” said Mansell. “I was devastated, screaming, crying. It broke my heart.”

She watched a livestream of the funeral in her hospital bed. “It was weird. I was in so much pain,” Mansell said.

The road to recovery was not easy. During months of rehabilitation, Mansell was schooled at home. “A teacher would visit, but I could barely write because of my broken right arm,” she recalled.

By October, Mansell got the green light to start walking slowly with a walker. By spring, she was back at school. “One of the first things I did when I was cleared to walk was get my walker, get in the car, and go to the cemetery,” Mansell said, visiting her friend’s grave, along with her friend, Bella, who also survived the wreck with less serious injuries. “We go on birthdays and anniversaries of the crash.” It’ll be five years this summer.

Fighting Back for Her Future

Mansell graduated from Waxahachie Global Early College High School and Navarro College in 2023 with an associate degree. Her academic journey was back on track. She even earned a scholarship through the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, which would pay half her tuition at UNT Dallas.

But before enrolling here, Mansell took a gap year to work to Marvin Elementary School in her hometown. It reinforced her career goal. “I knew exactly what I wanted to do – to work for a communications department at a school district,” Mansell said.

Her mother held similar roles, which inspired Mansell’s career aspirations. “I remember my mom telling me stories about her job,” she said.

In August 2024, three years after the crash that could have ended her life, Mansell entered a new chapter of her life, as a full-time undergraduate student at UNT Dallas, majoring in communications and digital media in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. "It was the program I wanted and it was affordable,” she said. “I felt extremely grateful. I was not online, not in wheelchair. I can use stairs if I want to,” Mansell said.

New Skills, New Passion

It’s been a whirlwind ever since. Mansell discovered an interest in film and video production, a skill she hadn’t yet developed or appreciated. “I was sort of thrown into it. I needed the credit,” she said.

Mansell learned about cameras, audio, lighting and editing. She was assigned a project and put into a group with four “boys” as she called them affectionately. “They’ve become my best friends,” she said, thanking them for the collaboration and camaraderie. “I knew nothing about film. The people in my group helped me fall in love with it.”

Mansell also gave a “shout out” to instructor Gabe Otteson, known as “Professor O.” She said her most memorable moments at UNT Dallas occurred in his digital production classes and assignments. “Professor Gabe Otteson, I adore him. They’re just amazing – all the professors,” Mansell exclaimed.

The lessons she learned helped Mansell land a parttime job in the campus Speaking Center, where she helps other digital communication students with equipment and training. Mansell also gained hands-on knowledge in the summer of 2025 as an intern as Terrell ISD. “I got an insane amount of experience,”  she said. Her know-how and judgment are an important part of the journey for all UNT Dallas. “A lot of classes are great at implementing experiential education,” Mansell added. “We're literally handling all this equipment and learning how it works in real time.”

As part of the university’s Classroom to Career initiatives, each school and program are revising their curriculum to include internships and other opportunities for up-close, hands-on practice, with professional mentoring, in their area of study. The effort is led by the Center for Experiential Learning and Career Success (CELCS), launched in 2025.

Degree, Deadlines and Dollars

Now in her final weeks before earning a bachelor’s degree in communication and digital media, Mansell is ready for the next chapter. “It feels amazing. I am going to celebrate and look forward to the future, and look for a job,” she said, about the moments after graduation. Mansell believes UNT Dallas has prepared her well for the challenges ahead. She is confident in her abilities as she seeks an opportunity with a local school district. “I thrive under pressure. I work well under deadlines,” Mansell said. “From a 3.8 GPA to multitasking to creating products quickly and efficiently.”

An added bonus, aside from her degree, is that Mansell is finishing college without struggling to pay bills. “My mom wanted me to graduate debt-free,” she said. Her Phi Theta Kappa scholarship, salary from parttime work, and affordable tuition made it possible.

Mansell’s resilience also made it possible. A courageous comeback from a near-death experience.

One piece of advice learned in her internship that she’ll take with her: “Word things very carefully to get your message across to all audiences clear and effectively.” Well said, indeed – a lesson for all graduates, regardless of their major.