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Wife of man who survived wrong way crash speaks

Posted at 11:46 AM, Jan 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-19 10:52:52-05

UPDATE: A woman speaks to Action News after her husband was hit by a driver going the wrong way on the 215 Beltway early Sunday morning.

"I want everybody to know what this man did," said wife Stacey Cope, "the choice that he made and the people that he hurt."
 
Cope says the crash happened as Brandon Abernathy, 35, was returning home from game night with friends.
 
Abernathy swerved to avoid a head-on collision and was ejected from his Jeep, said Cope.  He suffered a cranial bleed, multiple broken bones, and bruises.  
 
Cope said it's difficult to see her ordinarily strong husband in a hospital bed. 
 
"He throws heavy athletics in the Highland Games, so they practice several times a week," said Cope. 
 
While the road to recovery is long, Cope said her husband's strength continues to inspire loved ones.
 
"He just loves to live, loves to be with people," said Cope.
 
News of the crash was especially hard for Abernathy's 15-year-old stepdaughter.  
 
"It's a shock you know it hurts," said Cope, "probably the worst day of my entire life."
 
Troopers said the 24-year-old driver responsible is still recovering at Sunrise Hospital. 
 
The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help cover costs.

ORIGINAL STORY

Police said a wrong-way driver caused a three-vehicle crash on the 215 Beltway early Sunday morning.

Around 1:20 a.m., a man driving a Lexus the wrong way on eastbound 215 near Warm Springs Road struck a Jeep and a Toyota SUV, according to Nevada Highway Patrol.

The male Lexus driver was transported to Sunrise Trauma with non-life threatening injuries while the male Jeep driver was transported to University Medical Center with serious injuries. The Toyota SUV had three occupants who had minor injuries.

NHP did not say whether the driver of the Lexus would be facing any charges.

Eastbound 215 was closed from the Airport Connector to Warm Springs Road until 6 a.m.