Kelly Ripa's Sister, Linda Ripa, Was Nearly an Acting Star Before a Terrible Car Accident

A woman who wears many hats, Kelly Ripa , has become a beloved icon in America. She's an actress, talk show host, and more with her charismatic and charming personality inviting people into her world. This also means that some of her personal life has become a bit of a public spectacle.

Her sister, Linda Ripa , isn't quite as famous as Kelly, but she is a published author with a book, The Ladybug Blue s, out now. Linda is far more known for her woes than her successes as she went through a major, life-altering event a few decades ago that made major headlines and put Kelly on high alert.

What happened to Kelly Ripa's sister? She was in a serious car accident.

Linda was in an unfortunate accident in 1999. According to People , the author was injured in a car accident while seven months pregnant after being hit by a drunk driver in Philadelphia. Not only did she suffer broken bones, but her pelvis was affected and her unborn son, Sergio, was sent into a coma. Thankfully, he survived and Linda dubbed him her "Miracle Baby" thereafter.

She admitted that she was expecting to experience pain for the rest of her life but underwent a string of surgeries in an effort to eliminate some of the effects of the accident. “It was the worst thing you could imagine. As much as I hurt from all the broken bones and operations, the worst thing was not really being able to hold my son for very long. Any mother would tell you that," she said.

A surgery, though, did go wrong and caused more problems than before. In February 2004, Linda was awarded $15 million in a lawsuit against a surgeon who operated on her ankle after the accident. According to the Battalion , she alleged in her suit that the operation was rushed, which left her foot permanently deformed. This caused severe pain and nerve damage for Linda.

Initially, Linda just wanted to settle the lawsuit, asking for $2.4 million in negotiations. However, the doctor argued that the nerve damage wasn't a result of the operation but rather the crash in general. They chose to take the matter to court, and Linda ultimately was triumphant in the end.

”I’m going to hazard a guess that the plaintiff, and the plaintiff’s lawyers, in their wildest dreams, did not anticipate this case bringing in $15 million,” said David Corujo, a lawyer for Frankford Hospital. Linda's lawyer noted that the financial compensation was necessary as she was missing out on work opportunities, including a $150,000-a-year offer to be her sister's personal assistant, due to the pain she was experiencing.

Before the accident, Linda was entering the entertainment world much like her sister. She started her early career off as a model and actress, according to an interview with the New York Times . Her legal team argued that the accident changed the course of her life, making it difficult for her to pursue work as an actress due to the pain from the ankle operation only making it much worse for her.