Carlisle woman saves friend's life after accident on Saylorville Lake
By AARON W. JACO • Record-Herald Staff WriterBy Susie Kling • August 13, 2008
The last thing Des Moines resident Kasey Aiken remembers from the afternoon of July 19 is standing on the beach at Saylorville Lake, eating a ham sandwich.
The rest of the day's events, including details of a near-fatal Jet Ski collision and the heroic actions of a friend from Carlisle, she's pieced together from friends and relatives.
Aiken, 27, was knocked unconscious when her Jet Ski collided with another personal watercraft driven by her friend, Melisande Hinds, 20, of Carlisle.
Aiken had sped away from Hinds and circled back to pick up her passenger, Andrea Young, 24, of Clive, who had fallen from the watercraft.
Aiken was obscured from view by a wave when the Jet Ski carrying Hinds and her sister, Michaella, came over the top of Aiken, according to Michaella Hinds, 17, of Carlisle.
"I really don't remember anything," Aiken said. "I don't know if the back end just clipped my head or what happened."
When Michaella Hinds found Aiken, she was floating facedown in the water.
"She looked dead, no lie," Michaella Hinds said. "My sister had got there by the time I flipped her over, and my sister was screaming at me, 'She's not breathing, make her breathe.' So I plugged her nose and started giving her mouth to mouth the best I could."
Soon, the sisters saw Aiken open her eyes. But she could not speak, so Michaella asked her to squeeze her hand if she could hear them.
Aiken squeezed her friend's hand.
The sisters systematically pinched Aiken on her arms, legs and buttocks, each time asking her to squeeze Michaella's hand if she could feel the pinch.
Again and again, Aiken squeezed her friend's hand.
Bill Brock, a sailboat racer with the Saylorville Yacht Club, noticed the Hinds sisters screaming and flailing for help.
Brock, 53, of Urbandale, and one of his crewmembers dragged Aiken onto the stern of the boat.
"We checked her pulse, and we kept talking to her," Brock said. "She would come to and seem very normal then she would fall asleep again."
Rescue personnel were waiting at the shore when the sailboat arrived.
Aiken said she was unconscious during most of her three-day hospital stay. She suffered a concussion and received seven staples in her head.
More than two weeks after her July 21 release, Aiken feels constant numbness in her left foot, sporadic numbness in her left leg and arm, and sporadic memory loss.
"Yesterday I couldn't remember my mom's last name," Aiken said. "The other day I called to order a pizza and I couldn't give the pizza guy directions to my house."
Doctors told Aiken the numbness and memory loss could have a number of causes, but is most likely attributed to nerve damage. If it's nerve damage, Aiken said doctors told her she could expect a full recovery.
When she regains her freedom of movement, Aiken said she plans to find a way to reward Michaella Hinds for saving her life.
"I'm thankful every day that (Michaella) was on the back of that Jet Ski, because I would have died," Aiken said. "She's a brave little girl, I can tell you that much."
Aiken is also grateful that all four riders were wearing life jackets.
"It's nice to go out and have fun," Aiken said. "But you also have to be careful."
The remainder of Aiken's days at the lake will be spent relaxing on the beach or lounging in a boat. No more Jet Skis, she said.
"Laying on the beach sounds more like my cup of tea," Aiken said. "I'd rather just soak up the sun."
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