She died in a horrific crash and her best friend was critically injured. Why Abbi Bischoff’s mom says it was ‘1,000% preventable.’

Abbi Bischoff and Skye Hackman. Photo courtesy Skye Hackman. | Watch our complete communicative successful nan video subordinate above.

REXBURG — One twelvemonth agone Wednesday, Mindi Bischoff received nan worst telephone of her life.

Her girl Abbi Bischoff, who had conscionable celebrated her 20th birthday, was gone and Abbi’s champion friend, Skye Hackman, was fighting for her life successful a infirmary room crossed nan country.

“Our past words to each different were I emotion you and I will beryllium everlastingly grateful for that,” Bischoff says done tears. “I conscionable kept reasoning that it can’t beryllium real.”

Mindi Bischoff and Abbi Bischoff successful their past photograph together earlier Abbi was killed successful a car crash. | Courtesy Mindi Bischoff

Bischoff has ne'er spoken publically astir what happened connected Aug. 21, 2023, and Hackman has spent nan past twelvemonth grieving while wondering really things would beryllium different had an aged driver not been down nan instrumentality of her car that day.

“That mishap was 1,000% preventable and should not person happened,” Bischoff says.

Abbi and Skye – Forever Friends

To opportunity Abbi loved life is an understatement. The Madison High School postgraduate made friends wherever she went, her nieces and nephews adored her and she had conscionable been accepted into nan Pensacola State College Cosmetology programme successful Florida.

“I conscionable retrieve telling my 5 different kids that she was truthful happy,” Bischoff recalls.

Abbi and Hackman met playing softball successful precocious schoolhouse and became inseparable moving and surviving together successful West Yellowstone complete nan summertime of 2023.

Last August, Abbi asked Hackman if she would thief her move from Idaho to Florida and they planned an unforgettable roadworthy trip.

“We decided we would extremity successful Nashville connected our measurement because she was going to beryllium turning 20 and she wanted to beryllium successful Nashville waking up location connected her birthday,” Hackman tells EastIdahoNews.com. “We pulled into Nashville, Tennessee astatine 12:18 a.m.”

They made their measurement to nan Sunshine State and spent respective days connected nan beach, eating Abbi’s favourite Nothing Bundt Cake, and exploring her caller home.

“She besides had a sister and her family that lived location truthful she was excited to beryllium only minutes distant knowing that she was connected her ain but being capable to sojourn family if she sewage homesick,” Bischoff explains.

After a fewer days, Hackman was group to alert location to her hubby successful Idaho. Before they near for nan airport, Abbi called her mom.

“The telephone rang astatine activity and I said, ‘I amended fto you go.’ She said, ‘Mom, I’m truthful excited! I person truthful galore things to show you and arsenic soon arsenic I driblet Skye off, we tin talk arsenic I’m driving back,” Bischoff says.

Abbi and Hackman took a photograph together – not knowing it would beryllium their past and Abbi added a caption that said, ‘Last 1 for a while.’ They hugged and prepared to leave.

Abbi Bischoff and Skye Hackman airs successful their past photograph together. Abbi wrote, “Last 1 for a while.” | Courtesy Skye Hackman

“She said, ‘I really dislike goodbyes’ and I said maine too. She said, ‘This isn’t a goodbye. You’ll consciousness me,'” Hackman recalls. “I retrieve stepping my suitcase retired to nan car and that’s nan past point I retrieve from that day.”

The clang

Abbi was driving her car and Hackman was successful nan rider seat. A fewer minutes into their drive, they stopped astatine a reddish ray when, retired of nowhere, a Jeep slammed into them.

The sketch beneath from nan Florida Highway Patrol shows what happened. Abbi and Hackman were successful conveyance number 2. The driver of nan Jeep, number 1, not only deed nan young women but caused a concatenation guidance clang pinch 4 different vehicles.

A sketch from nan Florida Highway Patrol clang study shows nan concatenation of events that led to Abbi Bischoff’s death. | Florida Highway Patrol

The velocity limit connected nan roadworthy is 45 mph. The clang study shows nan driver of nan Jeep, a 76-year-old woman, was going 60 mph and was “inattentive.”

“At 12:03 p.m., an alert popped up connected my telephone saying a clang had been detected connected Abbi’s car. I was truthful startled I instantly called her and location was nary answer. I instantly called Skye because if Skye’s pinch her, she’ll cognize what happened. No answer,” Bischoff says.

Hackman doesn’t retrieve overmuch isolated from a female named Donna opinionated extracurricular nan car and yelling, “Can you move?”

“She said, ‘Do you person a telephone number I tin call’ and from memory, I said my mom’s telephone number and my husband’s telephone number,” Hackman says. “I had been thrown into Abbi’s spot and my caput was pinned betwixt her backmost and her seat. I was down by nan bottommost of her spot and my legs were supra me.”

Abbi Bischoff’s conveyance aft nan crash. | Courtesy Skye Hackman

Bischoff and her different children were frantically communicating and those successful Idaho agreed to meet astatine her son’s location successful Idaho Falls. Her son-in-law successful Florida, who Abbi and Hackman had visited that week, rushed to nan segment of nan crash. He was told nan victims had been taken to 3 hospitals truthful he went to beryllium pinch Hackman, hoping Abbi was location too, while Bischoff and different family members contacted different hospitals.

“We kept calling and calling and nary of them had an Abbigail Bischoff,” Bischoff explains. “About 3 o’clock that day, I started to think, ‘I wonder, I wonder.’ I turned to my daughter-in-law and said, ‘Do you deliberation she’s dead?’ and she said not to deliberation that way.”

Hackman was successful horrible shape. She had 2 encephalon bleeds, some collar bones and 8 ribs were broken, on pinch portion of backmost and near enarthrosis blade. Both of her lungs were punctured, she had cuts everyplace and solid was embedded successful her skin.

Back successful Idaho, aft painfully waiting hours for immoderate information, Bischoff yet received a call.

“It’s nan strangest infinitesimal erstwhile they say, ‘I’m Corporal truthful and truthful from nan Florida State Highway Patrol. There’s nary easy measurement to show you this but your girl didn’t make it,'” Bischoff says done tears. “I can’t explicate what that feels like. It felt for illustration my full thorax was caving successful and I genuinely couldn’t breathe.”

Abbi was declared dormant astatine 12:20 p.m. and Hackman was clinging to life. Both of their families instantly flew to Florida and erstwhile they landed, Mindi went was to Hackman’s infirmary room.

“We ever talked astir really they had been sisters from different life. I walked successful and she was not capable to speak and nan look connected her look was anguish knowing that her friend was gone,” Bischoff says.

Hackman remembers waking up and being told her champion friend didn’t make it. She couldn’t extremity crying and past fell asleep.

The clang happened connected a Monday and Abbi’s family decided to clasp her ceremonial connected Saturday successful Idaho. Hackman was wished to beryllium location but location was nary measurement she could alert pinch encephalon bleeds and punctured lungs. Plus doctors weren’t judge erstwhile she’d beryllium capable to time off nan hospital.

Miraculously, she was released Thursday nighttime and her hubby and mom drove consecutive from Florida to Idaho. They arrived 3 hours earlier nan ceremonial began, which was nan aforesaid time astatine Bischoff’s birthday.

So galore group came, including a female who had made bracelets for Abbi and Hackman months earlier nan tragedy. The bladed concatenation bracelets didn’t person clasps and were meant to beryllium worn forever.

Abbi Bischoff and Skye Hackman some wore “forever bracelets” and 1 was fixed to Mindi Bischoff connected her birthday, nan aforesaid time of her daughter’s funeral. | Courtesy Skye Hackman

Abbi’s came disconnected successful nan clang and Hackman’s was trim disconnected astatine nan hospital, truthful nan benignant female visited nan funeral, put 1 connected Abbi’s wrist and gave 1 to her champion friend.

“She was stepping retired nan doorway and stopped and said, ‘Would you for illustration 1 of these?’ And immediately, I could perceive Abbi saying, ‘Mom, it’s your birthday,'” Bischoff says. “I had forgotten it was my day but I sewage nan coming connected my day that she wanted maine to have.”

Discovering what happened

After nan funeral, Abbi’s and Hackman’s families began to study much astir what happened. Officers told Bischoff location had been reports of an erratic driver respective minutes earlier nan clang but constabulary were incapable to get to nan female successful time.

Bischoff recalls her first gathering pinch a Florida Highway Patrol investigator.

“She told america nan woman that had been driving – her hubby said she had dementia but she seemed good that greeting erstwhile she left,” Bischoff says. “That was for illustration a punch to nan stomach. She should not person been driving.”

When Hackman learned nan driver had dementia, she “started to get angry. I was angry astatine her hubby for not taking nan keys because this was very preventable.”

Not 1 that, but nan driver had a minimal car security policy. It only paid up to $10,000 per unfortunate pinch $20,000 being nan maximum magnitude paid retired per incident, meaning $20,000 was divided up among nan 9 group successful nan 5 vehicles that were hit.

Skye Hackman had aggregate injuries pursuing nan crash. | Courtesy Skye Hackman

Hackman’s aesculapian bills unsocial were complete $400,000 and she only received $1,900 from nan driver’s security company.

Bischoff waited to spot if charges would beryllium revenge against nan driver who caused nan crash. She was told location would beryllium an update successful February, but officers ne'er called. Finally, past month, she met pinch investigators and was told nan prosecuting lawyer would not beryllium filing charges and nan incident was ruled an accident.

“(The officer) kept referring to it arsenic a aesculapian event. I yet said, ‘Would you please extremity calling it a aesculapian event. Dementia isn’t an event. It’s a measurement of life,'” Biscoff says.

EastIdahoNews.com contacted nan Florida Highway Patrol pinch questions astir nan lawsuit but a spokesperson referred america to nan clang report. According to tribunal records, nan driver has not been charged and has ne'er contacted Abbi’s aliases Hackman’s families.

“We recovered retired this female had been successful nan aforesaid infirmary arsenic Skye but location has been nothing. No I’m sorry, nary nothing,” Bischoff says.

Hackman adds, “I do not want a penny from it. I don’t attraction – I’ll salary nan bills. To get an I’m sorry aliases my woman shouldn’t person been driving – thing for illustration that.”

Hoping for alteration

Drivers pinch dementia are 3 times much apt to go progressive successful postulation accidents, according to nan Alzheimer’s Association. Some states require those who person been diagnosed pinch dementia aliases Alzheimer’s to return a driving trial (Idaho is not one), but Bischoff believes much needs to beryllium done.

“I would emotion to spot authorities that requires doctors to study dementia to nan DMV,” Bischoff says.

She and Hackman would besides for illustration security companies to beryllium required to salary for driving services for aged group pinch representation issues.

Another important instruction they’ve learned from this calamity is nan value of having captious conversations pinch aging loved ones astir erstwhile it’s clip to put distant nan car keys.

“People deliberation that taking distant their car keys is taking distant their freedom. You’re really preserving their state and you’re preserving nan state of everyone other connected nan road,” Bischoff says. “Decide pinch your parents earlier they get to that constituent wherever they’re going to conflict you connected it.”

Abbi was buried successful nan Annis Butte Cemetery. Hackman drives by each time but Bischoff moved to Texas soon aft her girl died.

Abbi Bischoff was buried astatine nan Annis Butte Cemetery. | Nate Eaton, EastIdahoNews.com/div>

A fewer weeks ago, Abbi’s gravestone was yet vanished and installed connected her funeral plot. Bischoff had ne'er seen it, until a fewer weeks ago.

She was flooded pinch emotion looking astatine nan beautiful achromatic marble and nan building “see you astatine sunset” engraved connected nan back.

Abbi loved sunsets and perpetually sent her mom and friends photos of sunsets wherever she was. Although nan sun group measurement excessively early connected her life, her mom and champion friend dream location is immoderate intent successful it.

“If her mishap tin bring immoderate benignant of alteration to helping group make amended decisions pinch their aging loved ones, past her life was worthy each infinitesimal of nan 20 years she was here. And it’s each ok,” Bischoff says.

Abbi Bischoff poses adjacent to a sunset. | Courtesy Mindi Bischoff