She was cold to the touch, with no sign of pulse. Today, she shares story of horrific crash.

About a year ago, Cherise Chipponeri and her children were trapped inside the wreckage of her small sport utility vehicle after a crash in central Modesto.

When emergency responders arrived, they found her cold to the touch and without signs of a pulse.

Her infant daughter, Aurora, and her 8-year-old son, Darrin, also were seriously injured in the crash along Scenic Drive. Chipponeri was revived. She and her two children were freed from the wreckage.

Their road to recovery was filled with a lot of uncertainty, especially for Cherise and Aurora. They both suffered traumatic brain injuries.

A year after the Dec. 10 crash, Chipponeri stood in her Ceres church, telling fellow parishioners that their recovery was nothing short of a miracle. She said she owes a lot to her faith in God, the emergency responders and the medical professionals who helped her family survive this ordeal.

Cherise can walk, hold Aurora in her arms, care for her children and is just starting to feel as healthy as she did before the crash.

“That’s why I needed to share my story,” Chipponeri said. “I’m just grateful to God that I’m here.”

The wreck occurred about 2 p.m. on a Saturday. Chipponeri and her family had just attended a child’s birthday party and were on their way to a second. Her husband, Ben Chipponeri, and their eldest son, Benjamin Jr., got in his vehicle and headed to the party, while Chipponeri and their two other children traveled in her white Nissan Xterra.

Chipponeri chose to avoid Highway 99 in the rainy weather by taking surface streets through Modesto. She was heading east on Scenic toward Coffee Road, where she lost control of her SUV and crossed into the path of a pickup near Bodem Street in front of Acacia Memorial Park cemetery.

She said her SUV hydroplaned, and was struck on the passenger side by the westbound truck.

“I just felt like I was slipping and falling without nothing to grab onto,” Chipponeri said as she described the moment she lost control of her vehicle. The pickup driver had some complaints of pain.

Aurora, who was only 3 1/2 months old, was eventually flown to a children’s hospital for further treatment.

Chipponeri had suffered the brain injury and pelvic fractures in three places. She had to undergo extensive physical therapy to regain the ability to walk. The right side of her body wasn’t functioning properly, as if in a state of paralysis. Doctors told her it was the result of her brain injury.

She once fell to the floor trying to reach for a ringing hospital phone. She didn’t realize how extensive her injuries were.

“I couldn’t even pick myself up,” she said. “You have to train your body how to do that again. It’s like reprogramming.”

Her son, Darrin, suffered a pelvic fracture and back injury in the crash. He fully recovered from his injuries.

“He was in the hospital for a week. He did really good,” Chipponeri said. “He bounced back really fast.”

DAUGHTER’S INJURIES

Aurora’s injuries were more severe. Along with the brain injury, Aurora had a blood clot in her right leg and she contracted pneumonia during her recovery.

Doctors twice were forced to drain fluid from her brain. Cherise Chipponeri, who would have to wait a few weeks after the crash to see her daughter, said doctors believed Aurora’s injuries could result in permanent brain damage.

“I would just pray to God, ‘Please restore mine and my baby’s health,’” Chipponeri told her fellow parishioners. “He saved me and my baby.”

Aurora’s prognosis eventually improved. Chipponeri said her daughter has been weaned off seizure medication. Now 15 months old, Aurora eats and walks on her own and is undergoing physical and speech therapy.

“I think she’s going to be just fine,” Chipponeri said while holding her daughter before her testimonial about the crash earlier this month.

Pastor Ed Rhinehart of Echoes of Praise, a Pentecostal Church on Fourth Street in Ceres, introduced Chipponeri before she gave her testimonial during the Sunday morning service. He told the parishioners that Chipponeri had a wonderful story about how God helped her and her family through a tough year.

“We should always be able to give God thanks, especially at this time of year,” Rhinehart said.

Chipponeri said she’s grateful to the numerous people who helped her family in their recovery, which still continues.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them,” Chipponeri said. “I’m just getting back to my normal self.”

This story was originally published December 24, 2017 at 12:54 PM with the headline "She was cold to the touch, with no sign of pulse. Today, she shares story of horrific crash.."