Anderson, SC| On November 23, 2024, Ariel Terhune was leaving her friend’s house after a night of good fun. As she traveled North on Highway 81, Stephanie Jean Jackson was traveling South on Highway 81 North. Suspect Jackson crossed the centerline, hitting Ariel’s car head-on. The original wreck can be found here. Both Terhune and Jackson went to Greenville Memorial Hospital (Prisma) by ambulance for emergency treatment for their injuries. Ariel’s injuries include both femurs broken, her left hip broken, both her left and right arms broken, five broken ribs, and a hemopneumothorax. Ariel is still in very critical condition at Greenville Memorial Hospital Trauma ICU. Ariel’s Mom, Tabitha Terhune, has posted to Facebook the healing journey of her daughter.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help offset the very high financial costs of care Ariel will endure they would cherish your help during this time. Ariel’s Mom who also works for Prisma Health has not left Ariel’s side.
Ariel Terhune, 17, had her whole life ahead of her. Ariel is a Senior at Wren High School. But one senseless act has put a halt on Ariel’s life.
The above images were shared with us by Ariel’s lawyer.
Stephanie Jean Jackson was the driver of the 2017 Honda CRV. She was hospitalized. When she was released from the hospital, The South Carolina Highway Patrol Charged her with a Felony DUI, Resulting in Great Bodily Injury. On Tuesday, Jackson went before Anderson County Magistrate Judge Ronald Gambrell. Jackson was Granted Bond. Judge Gambrell gave her a $300,000 bond. Judge Gambrell said that if South Carolina State Law allowed him to deny Jackson’s Bond, he would. But the Judge went on to say that the law made him set a bond, so he set it at the highest possible amount. Ariel’s Lawyer, Jason Porter, tried to understand how the law required him to set a bond.
But is this Jackson’s first DUI? A records search out of Greenville County suggests that Jackson got a DUI in early 2023 but was later reduced to Driving While Under Alcohol Consumption.
Stephanie Jackson’s Bond Hearing:
Tabitha Terhune’s (Ariel’s Mom) Full Statement:
On Saturday, November 23, 2024, I said goodbye to my 17-year-old daughter as I left for work at Greenville Memorial Hospital as an ER nurse. She was doing her nails and planning to go to a friend’s house to watch Christmas movies and drink hot chocolate. I received a call at 2335 from her friend who was clearly shaken on the phone. She said Ariel was hit by a drunk driver, her dad was with her, and EMS was on the way. Mattie is a classmate and close friend of Ariel’s who summoned up a great amount of strength to keep me updated on Ariel’s state of consciousness and when she left the scene. I clocked out and waited by the ER bay until my heart was brought in on a stretcher as a trauma from a selfish act on Stephanie Jackson’s part. Words cannot explain what it was like watching your child be worked up as a trauma. I will list her injuries so you can get an idea of the severity of her injuries which is why I am unable to be there today.
Injuries include;
Her right and left femurs are broken
Left hip broken
Right and left arms broken
5 broken ribs
A pneumothorax which is where the lung collapses which later became a hemothorax because it started to collect blood. This ended up needing a chest tube.
A liver laceration which required her to go to the operating room to evaluate the extent of the injury, for which she still has a JP drain placed for the collection of fluid and blood.
In total, she has had 5 surgeries, multiple invasive procedures, and countless radiology scans. Ariel will still need more during her ICU course.
On top of everything else, Ariel was diagnosed with diffuse axonal injury which is a severe traumatic brain injury that causes shearing or tearing of the brain’s nerve fibers, as well as a fat embolism in her brain that is caused by the multiple breaks to her body. Unfortunately, we won’t know her long term prognosis for up to two years from now.
My daughter’s broken bones will heal, however her brain may not. She is unresponsive and on a ventilator to keep her breathing due to the severity of her injuries. Today, she is going back to the OR for a tracheostomy and a feeding tube placement.
I plead with you not to allow this woman to be released and potentially end another child’s life. She has three children of her own and still made the decision to get behind the wheel not knowing who’s life she would endanger. My daughter is a senior and is dual enrolled in a mechatronics program. She is one of the smartest and kind people that I know. Her infectious laugh and bubbly personality may never return. Her bright future was ripped from her in a split second. My worst nightmare happened that night and that may have been the last time I ever heard her tell me she loved me.
