The Lorenz and Banke Medical Costs

On Sunday April 2nd a dear friend to many in the equine community Sarah Lorenz accompanied by her mother Shawna Banke and daughter Ember along with her two beloved horses Royal and Drummer in the horse trailer, we’re in a horrific head on collision.

This fund raiser hopefully will lesson the burden of accrued damages and veterinary bills that insurance will not cover.

Here is the family’s story and updates will be posted with their recovery process.

On Sunday 4/2/23 Myself Sarah Lorenz, my mother Shawna Banke, my 6month old daughter Ember and my two horses Drummer and Royal were involved in a head on collision on hwy 26 in Oregon.

We were traveling home from a horse show in Astoria, all but maybe 15 minutes from dropping the horses off at their home at my aunts barn when a car in the oncoming lane (presumably speeding) slid on the slush on the shoulder of the road and lost control of their vehicle which traveled directly to my drivers side headlight, and then directly into the front of my horse trailer.

I sustained relatively minor physical injuries, a broken ankle and heel on my right foot and lots of scrapes and bruises.

As I ride horses and teach lessons for a living and will likely be in a cast for 2 months and need months of rehabilitation on my foot to hopefully be able to get on a horse again some day.

I also care full time for our daughter while my husband works, I will have to pay a nanny out of pocket to help at home for the duration of time that I am in a cast as insurance is not covering a nanny or any help for my daughters care at home. Let alone helping us to get to follow up appointments or anything else.

My mother was in critical condition but is now stable with a fractured T12 L4 and L5 in her back, two broken ribs and a fractured right wrist. She is expected to be in the hospital for another week and then transferred to a rehabilitation facility to hopefully gain back most of her functions. She will likely be handicap for life and sustain chronic pain.

My daughter thank god made it out untouched without a single scratch.

My horses were hospitalized at oakhurst veterinary hospital, Royal was stable with minor injuries. Drummer was critical and we contemplated humane euthanasia, but he stabilized overnight and will likely recover enough to be comfortable as a pasture pet. My horses will need to be ongoing veterinary care and pain management to remain comfortable while recovering, however long that takes.

Not that this is as important as my horses lives but some of my show tack and clothing did not survive the crash and I now have to replace.

Our 2022 F350 is totaled along with my horse trailer. However we are so incredibly grateful that it kept is alive.

Not only is my family and horse’s suffering from physical pain, we are suffering from mental pain and we all have a very long road ahead of us and we will never recover fully due to the poor decisions of another motorist.

If anyone feels compelled to help out with some of the accruing costs as insurance has limitations with what they will cover.

Thank you,

The Lorenz and Banke family