Ironman competitor racing again after recovering from critical injuries

So many sad stories come out of a hospital’s trauma center, but in Angela Scarangella’s case, there is a story of survival.

After a terrible accident, the Glastonbury woman’s passion for doing Ironman competitions was put on hold, but after her journey at Hartford HealthCare, she is now fully recovered and even back to competing.

“I'm very passionate about triathlons, and started as being a lifetime runner,” Scarangella said.

Athletics have taken Scarangella hundreds of miles. She has completed more than 25 half Ironman races, seven long-course Ironman races and two World Championships.

“I just love the sport, training, and also racing,” she said.

But last May, while training on her bike to qualify for her third World Championship, her world turned upside down.

“I was in a very remote road and an SUV struck me, and I passed out,” Scarangella said. “I actually thought it was my last moment. So I did have some horrifying thoughts.”

State Police confirm they responded to the accident. Scarangella says the driver stayed at the scene in Bolton, while a passerby called for help. She was rushed to Hartford Hospital, where she went straight to the operating room in critical condition.

“She had a lot of devastating injuries. And so not a lot of patients survive the sort of injury that she sustained," Dr. Daniel Ricaurte, Hartford Hospital trauma surgeon, said.

Ricuarte helped stabilize her that first night, but the road to recovery was long. Scarangella’s injuries included a ruptured diaphragm, 10 broken ribs and a collapsing lung, essentially a crushed chest.

She underwent chest surgery and ultimately spent 20 days at Hartford Hospital.

“There are a lot of wonderful people, too,” Scarangella said, getting emotional as she thought about the relationships she formed with her doctors and nurses.

One nurse ultimately pushed her to get out of bed and take her first steps after the accident.

“She said, ‘Okay, we're going to walk now.’ And we walked probably 10 to 12 steps, down the hall and back, dragging my epidural,” Scarangella said. “It was really painful. It was really hard. But she was very encouraging. And at that moment, I thought, ‘You know what, I'm going to be okay.’”

Now more than a year later, she has gone from walking to competing once again.

“Surprisingly, every day I get stronger and stronger,” Scarangella said.

This summer she conquered a 70.3 race and an Ironman race, and now hopes to pick up where she left off and qualify for another world championships.

“We deal with a lot of sadness, we deal with a lot of tragedy,” Ricuarte said. “So this helps us, you know, keep the motivation, to know that what we do makes a difference, and that we're able to help patients and their families.”

Scarangella proving a competitor's spirit is as strong as iron.

“I have three boys. My husband and I have been married for 27 years,” she said. “And we have a lot more living to do.”