Local teen injured from debris at Talladega

A Lauderdale County High School senior who was injured Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway could be released today from UAB Hospital where she had reconstructive surgery to repair her jaw.

Blake Bobbitt was among seven fans injured at the NASCAR Aaron 499 race when Carl Edwards' vehicle flipped and smashed into a fence that separates the grandstands from the track. The crash happened during the last lap.

Blake Bobbitt's jaws are wired shut after surgery, but she is able to speak. She said Tuesday she is sore but feeling better.

Blake's mother, Emma Bobbitt, said doctors expect the teen to fully recover.

"She's doing much better," Emma Bobbitt said. "She had surgery all day (Monday). They had to reconstruct her lower jaw."

Blake and her father, Terry Bobbitt, were in the second row from the track when the wreck occurred.

Terry Bobbitt said he is thankful things didn't turn out worse.

"She's recovering from the surgery, and could possibly be getting out of the hospital tomorrow," he said Tuesday. "The main thing is the car didn't come in there. If the car had come in there, we would have all been in trouble. The fence did an excellent job. You can't stop everything from coming through the fence."

He said a friend has closely watched replays and recognized the Bobbitts in the crash. "He says a 4-foot piece of something went right over our heads."

Emma Bobbitt said her husband tried to protect their daughter.

"He said he saw that the wreck was about to happen," she said. "He tried to cover her. He got on top of her to protect her. By that time, a piece of metal had already hit her."

Terry Bobbitt said he pointed toward Edwards' car to alert his daughter as the vehicle flipped across the track.

"I pointed down the track and, all in that same motion, I grabbed her and took her down to the ground," he said. "I covered her, and the only thing I didn't get covered was the side of her face that got hit. Nothing hit me. I couldn't believe anything even hit her."

Blake Bobbitt was knocked unconscious, Emma Bobbitt said. "They immediately got her on the backboard and took her to the medical house there and flew her out."

She said her daughter doesn't remember the wreck.

"She just remembers standing up to see the last lap," Emma Bobbitt said. "Everybody's talked about it so much since then that she's starting to put the pieces together."

The teenager was disoriented when she regained consciousness and initially thought the incident was a dream, her mother said.

Dazed, she asked her father if she has a boyfriend. When he said yes, she wanted him to call the boyfriend, Kevin Davis, so he did, and she asked Davis if he's her boyfriend. "He said yes, he's her boyfriend," her mother said.

Davis, said he could tell she didn't know where she was.

"She was crying," Davis said. "Her daddy explained to me what had happened. I thought it was a dream. That's what it felt like."

Emma Bobbitt said Carl Edwards called her daughter Monday.

"He just let her know that he was so sorry and regretful that it happened," Emma Bobbitt said. "He said he'd broken his jaw once before and hated for it to happen to anybody. He hoped she did well and wished her well.

"That meant a lot to us. It was very nice of him."

Blake Bobbitt has had plenty of visitors, including friends Leanna Davis and Kalee Coosenberry.

Leanna Davis said Blake's mother called Sunday evening, still in a bit of panic, to tell her about the accident.

"All she said was 'Blake's been med-flighted out and she's not OK', and she had to go," Leanna Davis said. "We were freaking out. We didn't know what happened."

"I didn't know what was going on," Coosenberry added. "It was just awful. It's crazy; of all those people there, it happens to her."

Leanna Davis calls Blake Bobbitt "a trooper."

"Her mouth is wired now, but she's still trying to talk," she said. "She's going to talk no matter what."

Emma Bobbitt attended Sunday evening church service, unaware her daughter was injured. She had been at the Minnow Bucket, a convenience store owned by the Bobbitts, and didn't watch the race.

"I turned on the news and saw the race and wreck," she said.

Initial reports were that no spectators were injured, so Emma Bobbitt figured she had no reason to worry. She also thought Blake and her father were sitting 14 rows up.

The tickets, which cost $160 for the pair, listed them on Row 14, but they didn't realize the rows count from the bottom up, rather than the top down. The lowest row was Row 15, and Row 14 was the next row up.

"My husband kept calling," she said. "I texted him back and said I was at church."

He continued to call, and she found out what happened.

"I was devastated," Emma Bobbitt said. "What's the odds of my child being hit, out of all those people?"

Blake Bobbitt's jaws will remain wired for six weeks, her mother said. "She will have to have more surgeries for reconstruction and implants later. The doctor said he feels like the outcome of the surgeries would be good.

"He said God had smiled on her, and we agree. We give God the glory for taking care of her."

Blake's injuries won't stand in the way of high school graduation. Her mother said Blake will participate in commencement exercises in May. "She's already got the credits needed."

The Bobbitts, who live at a lake side house, will move forward with plans for a senior-class party in May. "She just won't get to play in the water."

She said Terry Bobbitt told her Blake appeared to be the most seriously injured of those sitting near her. "The others just had minor scratches and cuts."

She said her husband and daughter are big racing fans, but this might be her daughter's last trip to the track.

"She said she enjoyed the race until the last lap."

Bernie Delinski can be reached at 740-5739 or bernie.delinski@TimesDaily.com.