SEABROOK — The prayers of family and friends of 19-year-old Cayleigh Adams are being answered, according to the mother of the Seabrook beach parking attendant severely injured when her UTV was struck by a car on June 28.
“Everyone at the emergency room and the hospital, the doctors and the nurses are in shock,” said Adams’ mom, Jocelyn Adams-Olson. “If you had seen Cayleigh on Friday and you see her now, you wouldn’t believe the difference. It’s like a miracle.”
Adams, a 2023 Winnacunnet High School graduate, was on parking patrol along Ocean Boulevard, Route 1A, at Seabrook Beach Friday afternoon, driving the police department’s 2013 Kawasaki utility terrain vehicle when the accident occurred.
The preliminary investigation conducted by the New Hampshire State Police indicates at 4:28 p.m., a 2004 Volkswagen Beetle, driven by a 33-year-old Hampton woman, was heading south on Ocean Boulevard when she failed to stop at a red light at Hooksett Street. As the Volkswagen ran the light, it struck Adams, driving east across Ocean Boulevard in the town’s open UTV.
The impact of the crash overturned the UTV, throwing Adams several feet. She landed in the roadway, suffering serious injuries. She was treated by emergency responders at the scene and transported by ambulance to an area hospital.
Adams-Olson said her neighbor, Seabrook police officer Keith Dietenhofer, drove to her home to tell the family about the accident. He then drove her to the hospital.
Adams-Olson said it was hours until she was able to see her daughter in the intensive care unit.
“They gave her every scan, and they X-rayed her entire body,” Adams-Olson said. “When I saw her the first time, it was about 9 (p.m.) and she was unconscious on a ventilator.”
According to Adams-Olson, her daughter sustained a serious concussion, causing swelling of the brain, leading doctors to place her on a ventilator in a drug-induced coma. Both bones in her lower left leg are broken, and her daughter has multiple other lacerations and bruises.
By Monday, however, Cayleigh was awake enough to answer questions.
“She drifts in and out, but when they asked her who she was and where she goes to school and where she went to school, she was able to give all the right answers,” Adams-Olson said.
“When they asked her where she was, she answered ‘Hell,’ which for a parent is exactly right,” Adams-Olson said.
The daughter of Jocelyn Adams-Olson and step-daughter of Jason Olson, of Salisbury, Massachusetts, Cayleigh is the daughter of Gary Short of Hampton. According to her mom, she is a business major at Plymouth State College, where she hopes to return as a sophomore this fall.
Cayleigh applied for the position of beach parking patrol officer at Seabrook Beach because she thought it would be a great summer job.
“She loves the beach and being outdoors,” Adams-Olson said. “We thought it would be a great way for her to spend the summer.”
According to Seabrook Police Chief Brett Walker, Cayleigh has been an enthusiastic addition to the team.
“She’s been a great employee with a great attitude for the job,” Walker said. “This was a terrible accident, and we’re hoping she heals quickly with no lasting effects. We’re hoping she’s back to living her normal life as soon as she can. Seabrook police will be here if she needs us.”
Community rallies to help Cayleigh Olson with medical bills
Cayleigh’s summer will now be spent recovering from a very serious accident, which will hamper her ability to earn money this summer for college. Yet, the community is reaching out, Adams-Olson said.
“The Seabrook community, friends, and others have been wonderful,” Adams-Olson said. “Seabrook police have been here every day. It’s overwhelming how great everyone has been.”
Patricia Harris, whose daughter, Mikayla, has been friends with Cayleigh since they were toddlers, set up a GoFundMe page to help raise the money to cover the many expenses insurance doesn’t.
“I am reaching out to the community to help Cayleigh,” Harris wrote. “Whatever you can donate will be much appreciated!"
Located on the harbor not far from where the accident took place, the folks at Al Gauron Deep Sea Fishing are also pitching in to help. Angel Eaton Gauron and April Nicoll Gauron have organized a fundraising cruise for July 14. The sunset cruise runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for a per-person cost of $40.
“We’re friends of the family,” Angel Eaton Gauron said. “That accident was really awful. A nice young girl like that, just doing her job. It really bothered us, and we want to do whatever we can.”
In addition to the cruise, the crew at Gauron’s, which also has a printing company, is producing and selling a T-shirt to raise money for Cayleigh’s recovery. The $20 shirt says “Team Cayleigh Adams. Be Brave. Be Strong.”
To book the cruise or buy a shirt, go to algauron.com. Click “Shop” on the menu and go to “Merchandise” to find the shirt.
Crash remains under investigation
Because the accident involved a Seabrook employee, Walker requested the investigation be conducted by the New Hampshire State Police. The investigation was assigned to the Troop A barracks, which responded to the scene and assumed the lead of the investigation.
The driver and passenger in the Volkswagen were uninjured, according to the state police, and no charges were brought at the time of the accident.
“At this point, no arrests have been made, and no charges have been filed,” Tyler Dumont, spokesman for the state police, said Monday. “However, all aspects of the crash remain under active investigation.”
Police ask anyone with information to contact Trooper Philip Sheehy via email at Philip.J.Sheehy@DOS.NH.GOV.
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