Singer Dottie West Has 2nd Surgery Since Car Crash
Country singer Dottie West underwent surgery Monday for the second time since she was severely injured in a car crash three days ago. Doctors said her chance of surviving was slim because they were unable to stop internal bleeding.
A third operation was tentatively set for Wednesday. West, 58, remained in critical but stable condition, Dr. Richard S. Miller said.
“Due to her age, her chances of survival are not as good as I thought they were before,” Miller told reporters at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “I can’t give you an exact percentage, but they’re not very good.”
West’s liver and spleen were ruptured in the accident Friday. Doctors at first thought she also had a neck injury, but determined Monday that she did not, Miller said.
She has received several blood transfusions since she entered the hospital and underwent the first operation Friday, doctors said.
“We do now get survivors with this type of injury, but most of them are in their 20s,” Dr. John A. Morris Jr. said.
West was the first woman to win a country music Grammy Award when she was honored for her 1964 hit, “Here Comes My Baby.”
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