‘Our story isn’t over’: Nebraska couple optimistic after near-fatal crash

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A Saunders County sheriff’s deputy and his wife were recently in a car crash that nearly cost them both their lives.

Thomas and Angela Janecek began their Easter Sunday eating breakfast and doing chores around the house.

With the nice weather, they decided to take their 1966 Chevy Impala out on a drive, one they had made countless times before.

“Next thing I know, there is a car right in front of us,” Angela said. “I could see it, a white vehicle, in our lane. And my husband, being the caregiver and my support that he is, he said, ‘Hold on.'”

Angela said Tom swerved to the right as hard as he could, but they were still hit head-on by the other vehicle outside of Missouri Valley, Iowa.

Both were life-flighted, but they were taken to separate hospitals.

Tom had taken the worst of the impact because his swerving put him in the path of the vehicle.

Angela still hasn’t seen her husband since the crash.

“The last thing I remember is him screaming,” Angela said.

But she takes comfort in the fact that they’re both still alive.

“Apparently, our story isn’t over,” she said.

Tom and Ang – as they like to be called – have known each other for 45 years and have been married for over 30.

They have three daughters together.

Tom has served as a deputy for 20 years.

And Ang is a nurse who has always been passionate about mental health.

She said the community has been incredibly uplifting, especially the sheriff’s office.

“I’ll tell you what, there are a lot more good people out there than bad,” Ang said.

She still has a few weeks of rehabilitation in the hospital, and Tom has longer.

The good news is that he’s up and talking.

Ang said their daughters Jessica, Sarah and Amanda have helped them stay positive.

The three of them were grateful for the community outreach as well.

“My sisters and I just want to express out gratitude and appreciation to those who have offered support in any way, continued prayers, and everyone who donated on the GoFundMe page,” Jessica, Sarah and Amanda said in a statement. “This has been a huge weight off of our shoulders. A special thank you to the Saunders County Sheriff’s Department.”

Ang agreed with their sentiment.

“I’m so greatly humbled by the support out there,” she said. “And my husband is my hero, and I just want to see him again.”

On the whiteboard in her hospital room, Ang wrote her goal: “To go HOME & see my husband.”

“Our life may have changed a little bit, our path and journey may have changed,” she said. “But we’re going to go on to live our best life ever. Together.”