New Palestine teen, athlete recovering from two-car accident

She’s suffered broken bones, surgery and a hospital stay through the holidays, now this teen is recovering at home.

By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

On a snowy Friday, Cailyn Hurst is eating a Taco Bell lunch. Like many teens, she has her phone close at hand, and she has many accomplishments to her name.

When she switches her position in the room, she rolls her wheelchair forward. The assisted mobility is new to her. It was on another winter day about a month earlier that Cailyn was in a serious car accident.

She doesn’t remember much but she has seen a video and knows a little about the details of the Dec. 3, 2024, incident. She was five minutes from her Hancock County home, on her way to a workout at a nearby gym.

“I turned right to go toward New Palestine and the next thing I knew I woke up on the ground,” said Cailyn. The video shows another driver crossing into her lane. Cailyn was transported by ambulance to IU Health Methodist Hospital where she was treated for injuries including two fractured hips, a broken pelvis, fractured lumbar vertebra, and a broken finger. In the care of Dr. Yohan Jang, Cailyn underwent surgery to secure her hips and pelvis with a metal plate. For now, she can’t bear any weight until she builds up her muscles. She was released from IU Health Methodist on Dec. 13, 2024, and moved to a rehabilitation facility for several weeks. Now, she is back home, learning to sit up, stand and eventually walk.

“The hardest thing to deal with is not being able to walk and go to the bathroom or shower on my own. It’s something I will never take for granted and I tell my friends to never take it for granted,” said Cailyn.

Four days before the accident, Cailyn was on the sidelines at Lucas Oil Stadium cheering as the New Palestine Dragons captured the 52nd annual IHSAA football state title. It was the fourth state title by the Dragons. Cailyn has been part of other state athletic competitions. Her New Palestine cheer squad captured a state title, and her softball team was a state runner up.

Of all the athletic interests, Cailyn’s primary focus is softball, a sport she started as a 4-year-old. Over the years, she has worked her way into a pitching position both for her school and traveling teams.

A May 9, 2024, story on the NewPalRadio.com praised her skills saying: “Cailyn Hurst threw a three-hit shutout, leading the New Palestine softball team to a 7-0 victory over Fishers.” The following night, she came into the game and shut down the Pendleton Heights Arabians in the sixth and seventh innings as the two teams battled it out in the Hoosier Heritage Conference.

“I like getting the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends,” she said. “Softball is what keeps me going,” said Cailyn. “My surgeon said if I have the mindset to come back, I will come back. He said my body will stay stiff if I don’t do therapy. I try to get up every day, get in my wheelchair, go to the couch, or just push my feet up and point them will help me get back to where I used to be.”

While she focuses on improving her physical strength, Cailyn is surrounded by supportive family members and friends. It isn’t the first time she has been in this circle of care. On Aug. 25, 2008, Cailyn lost her mom to injuries sustained in an accident on I-465 in Indianapolis. Amber Hurst was 22. Cailyn was 14 months old at the time. She was subsequently adopted by her grandparents Tony and Sherry Hurst. Like Cailyn, Amber Hurst was active in high school softball and was also a member of a State Champion Cheerleading Squad.

As she recovers, Cailyn is staying at the home of her aunts’ Mandy Hurst and Stacey Nicholson. She is focusing on regaining her strength and enjoys spending time with her friends playing card games and watching Netflix. She still has a long way to go to full recovery and will continue with monthly checkups at IU Health Methodist Hospital. Additional surgeries may be needed down the road. To help with the mounting medical bills, her family has established a GoFundMe page.

Shortly after the accident, one relative wrote: “Despite the immense pain and uncertainty, Cailyn is alive, fighting with incredible courage, and beginning what will be a long and arduous road to recovery.”

She hopes to start her senior year on time and graduate on schedule. With several coaches already eyeing her talent, Cailyn plans to play softball in college and pursue a nursing degree.

“I think I’d like to work in OB/GYN helping people with their pregnancy and babies,” said Cailyn. For now, she’s taking one day at a time.