Fontbonne freshman recovering after highway accident 

During a class trip on May 17, Tess Kuhlmann met with a near-fatal accident when an emergency door of a small school bus sprung open, spilling the Fontbonne freshman onto the right lane of the Cross Island Parkway near the UBS Arena.

Luckily, a woman driving behind the bus stopped her car to shield Kuhlmann and called 911. Miraculously, an empty ambulance came upon the scene and drove the injured Kuhlmann to Northwell Hospital, from where she was eventually transferred to nearby Cohen Children’s Hospital for several surgeries.

Landing on her left side on the highway, Kuhlmann sustained injuries to her femur, elbow, shoulder socket and pelvis, as well as internal injuries to her brain, liver and intestines. After three weeks of recovery in the intensive care unit under heavy sedation, she was moved to a step down unit where she began to speak and reach for objects. 

Having finally reached a level of stabilization, Kuhlmann has made enough progress this week to be transferred to Blythedale Children’s Hospital in Westchester, where she’ll receive long-term rehabilitation.

In view of the trauma suffered by her daughter and her family, Betsy Kuhlmann was still able to put things into perspective, saying, “Despite this horrible accident, there was some divine providence at work here to keep Tess safe on the highway and get her through these surgeries.”