Meagan Fitzgerald

KUSA-TV, Denver

ELIZABETH, Colo. — A woman says she was texting and driving when she hit a pole that went through her car, piercing her thigh and buttocks.

Elizabeth firefighters had to saw off the front and back end of the pole to get the woman out.

Christina Jahnz says she was in the parking lot of Elizabeth Middle School on Wednesday morning to deliver her daughter's saxophone, which had been left at home. As she was driving away from the school, Jahnz started texting her friend.

"I was running late for a business meeting, so I did a voice text. I looked down to make sure it was all right. The next thing I knew, I was looking up, there was white powder from the air bags deployed," Jahnz said.

Then, Jahnz realized that the guardrail pole went through the front of her truck, through her buttocks and into the back of her seat. Elizabeth firefighters rushed to the scene, where she says they used a saw to cut the front and back end of the pole before rushing her to Parker Adventist Hospital.

"I went into surgery and I lost count of the stitches after 40. They stitched me up inside too. I'm truly a miracle. They said if it gone just a little bit the other way I would have bled out," Jahnz said.

After a four-day stay in the hospital, Jahnz was released late Sunday night. She will be able to get around with the help of a walker and is expected to make a full recovery.

Jahnz says even though she was going 20 mph and looked down for only a split second, she has learned a lesson she will never forget.

"It's devastating knowing that I could have prevented it to begin with. I just hope my story helps to save the lives of others. Don't text and drive," Jahnz said.