Carlton Lane has spent much of the last month at his daughter’s side inside a Lewiston hospital, praying for her following a car accident that left her paralyzed.

Now it’s Lane who’s receiving the prayers as he’s surrounded by family inside the same hospital. Lane is recovering from serious injuries suffered in a crash in Hartford last week — exactly one month after his daughter, MonaRae Yaede, crashed her car in West Gardiner.

“Neither one of them are people who are going to give up,” said Stefanie Perry, Lane’s daughter. “We’re all trying to be very positive.”

Lane’s accident is the most recent misfortune to befall the family in recent years, including a prominent 2008 machete attack in Pittston on Lane’s granddaughter and son-in-law, Nicole and William Guerrette.

“He’s not a man who lays down,” Perry said of her father. “That kind of runs in the family.”

A crash report was unavailable, but Maine State Police Lt. Walter Grzyb said Lane, 75, of Litchfield, crashed his car about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday while driving on Route 219 in Hartford.

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The crash happened exactly one month after Yaede’s car hit a patch of ice on the Hallowell-Litchfield Road in West Gardiner and skidded into a utility pole.

Yaede initially was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, where Lane remained Monday, listed in serious condition, according to a hospital spokeswoman. Yaede now receives hospital treatment in Boston.

Perry, who spoke by phone Monday as she returned from Boston, said Lane is intubated and unable to explain how the crash occurred.

“As near as we can tell, he fell asleep,” Perry said. “I think he just got tired, unfortunately. I don’t know if anybody is aware of exactly what happened.”

Perry’s husband, Chris Perry, said his father-in-law suffered deep cuts on one arm in the crash. Lane probably would have bled to death if an unidentified passer-by had not used a belt as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, he said.

“Nobody claims to have done it,” Chris Perry said. “It probably saved his life.”

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Lane lost his right hand in the crash and had several other internal injuries, including to his spleen, which needed to be removed, Stefanie Perry said.

“I was the first one to see him when he woke up,” she said. “He didn’t know what was going on. You could tell he was completely confused.”

Police awoke Lane’s wife around midnight after the crash to deliver the bad news.

Meanwhile, Yaede continues to make progress at Boston Medical Center’s New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center. Lane spoke with great hope a couple of weeks ago that the center might help his daughter, who remains paralyzed from the chest down.

Perry said Yaede is now able to use her hands and is re-learning how to write.

“She’s doing pretty good,” Perry said. “She’s fighting hard and trying hard. It’s a long road. (Her hands) are still not functioning fully, but she’s improved a ton.”

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Perry said her sister took the news of their father’s crash in stride. Yaede took her first trip outdoors Sunday and used the occasion to try and make her family smile.

“We took pictures to send to my dad, and she was sticking her tongue out and waving,” Perry said. “It’s hard, but she’s very positive.”

Perry said her whole family is trying to emulate that trait, but remaining positive has been more challenging over the past several years.

In addition to the two life-altering crashes during the last four weeks, the Lanes’ children have suffered serious physical ailments — including a son who was briefly pronounced dead — and loss. In the spring of 2008 there was a home invasion at the home of the Lanes’ daughter, Melanie Guerrette. Leo Hylton and Daniel Fortune broke into the Guerrettes’ home and repeatedly struck Melanie’s then-10-year-old daughter, Nicole, and her husband, William. The attack left both with permanent injuries.

Daniel Fortune and Leo Hylton were convicted of numerous charges, including attempted murder, and are serving lengthy prison sentences.

Perry said her family members continue to support each other through the circumstances. Her brother, Jay Lane, is arriving from Utah and her sister, Kellie Simpson, is coming in from New York to be with their loved ones.

“We have the support of a lot of people,” Perry said. “I’ve seen people who don’t have that support. It means a lot.”

Craig Crosby — 621-5642

ccrosby@centralmaine.com


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