As of Sunday morning, seven people remain hospitalized from Thursday's fatal crash outside of the Mohawk on Red River Drive.
Six are at Seton, with two in critical condition. St. David’s HealthCare discharged one patient Saturday and now has just one patient left, 18-year-old Mason Endres. Mason has been surrounded by friends and family during her hospitalization, but on Saturday she got a surprise visit.
A surprise visit from band Jared & The Mill, that is. The band dropped by to see Endres before heading back to Phoenix.
Endres, who's from Liberty Hill, Texas, suffered several major injuries including a cervical spine fracture. But the pain seemed to melt away during Saturday’s private concert.
"Oh my gosh … seeing them … I felt so great today," Endres said from her hospital bed. "I think just the sheer excitement of everything has gotten me through today. Like today I felt better than I ever imagined I thought I would feel in the hospital."
Endres and her friends were planning to leave downtown Austin on Thursday morning when she was struck by a drunk driver allegedly trying to evade police.
Singer Jared Kolesar says the band wanted her to hear their music since she couldn’t make it to their South by Southwest showcase.
"We wanted to her to at least be able to hear a few of our tunes because at least she’s been such a big supporter the past two years of our career," Kolesar said. "She was like one of our first friends and fans in Austin, so it was important that we at least got her to hear some of our music."
Band member Michael Carter says they also feel for everyone else involved in the accident: "people we didn’t know, people who were unfortunately killed," he said. "And we just really, really are glad we can play a little music for somebody involved that happened to be close to us. So we're very happy to be here."
Endres suffered a number of injuries from getting hit.
"Broken femur, which has now been repaired with a rod. I also have a rod in my back, in my spine," Endres said. "I have two rods and screws from a previous surgery. I fractured my neck, broke my nose and messed up an artery in my left leg. So both my legs had surgery on them so far."
But her father, Dan Endres, says despite the pain, Saturday’s concert had a noticeable positive effect. When Mason heard the band was coming to visit, she was connected to a heart monitor, "and her pulse shot up. She got so happy, so it was worth all of it to see that big a smile."
Medical staff is unsure how much longer Endres will remain in the hospital. The high school senior is heading to UT in the fall and says nothing will keep her away from South by Southwest in the future.
