This journal entry was written by Sam's cousin and Jayne's daughter, Katie, during the early days of the accident.  She was 12 years old at the time she wrote this  (It is so wonderful to have this early account since most of us weren't in our right minds during this time and did not have the foresight to record what was happening):

Mommy Del (grandmother) and Jayne (aunt)opened up their mailbox.  Jayne took out the mail.  She saw something way back in.  It was Sam's letter.  As they read the card, they sobbed and sobbed.  Three and a half hours later, Maureen (mom) and Jim (dad) were reading his letter when a policeman came to the door.  Jim went to go answer.  The policeman said Sam had been in a very bad car accident.  Jim screamed and yelled, and screamed and yelled.  Maur came rushing to the door.  Jim could barely get out the words.  The police officer took them in the car to Covenant Cooper Hospital.  Jim screamed all the way there.  On the way Maur called her sister Jayne.  Maur's voice was very panicky and raspy.

    "It's Sam...Sam's been in a bad car accident...Oh, I, I...I think he's dead."  Jayne left her house leaving Tony (uncle), Katie(cousin) and Mommy Del at home.  Jayne went to go pick up Heather (Sam's sister).  When Jayne was in the car she just let out a big scream.  When she got to Heather's house, Jayne told her what happened and not to tell her kids, Robby, Anna and Maddy (nephew and nieces).  They both got in the car and went to the hospital.  Everyone came to see Maur and Jim.  Becca (Sam's sister) came shortly after Heather and Jayne.  So did Bucky (Sam's brother in law) and Evelyn (Sam's niece).  Many of Sam's friends and family came, too.

Sam went under two surgeries that night.  First they took out his spleen because of internal bleeding. That surgery went fine.  Then Sam had a surgery on his brain because of bleeding there, too.  He came out of that surgery, too.  He was in a coma, though.

That same night Jim was admitted to the hospital because he was so stressed about Sam.  Some of the doctors thought he was having a stroke or a heart attack, but no.  Jim stayed overnight in the hospital.

At about 3:00 a.m. Maur, Jayne, Heather, Becca and Mommy Del went up, not to actually see Sam, but to be closer to him.  The rest of us went downstairs in the waiting room.

We were there until about 5:00 a.m.  Most of us went home at that time.

--Katie Jessop's journal entry (February 14th, 2005)