SEASIDE, Ore. (KPTV/Gray News) – An Oregon teacher has a long road to recovery after suffering a major spinal injury when a tree struck her family’s car during a windstorm.
Tracey Wright has taught at Pacific Ridge Elementary for more than a decade and currently teaches first grade. She, her husband, Ron, and their daughter, Elisabeth, were driving home last Monday after celebrating Tracey’s birthday weekend.
That night, the Oregon coast and much of the metro Portland area experienced severe weather with high winds and heavy rain, KPTV reports.
As the family approached Seaside on U.S. 26, a tree, suddenly fell, crushing their car. The accident occurred less than 15 miles from their home.
Friends of the Wrights say the weather complicated emergency responders’ ability to reach the scene, but they worked diligently to assist the family.
Once Oregon State Police arrived, Tracey Wright’s husband and daughter were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, but the teacher’s injuries were far more serious.
First responders rushed Tracey Wright to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, where doctors discovered she had fractured her cervical spinal cord, specifically the C6 vertebra. She is currently experiencing paralysis in the lower half of her body.
In a recent Facebook post, the teacher wrote, “Right now, I have no feeling from the waist down, limited feeling in my arms and no function with my fingers.”
While she continues to receive medical care, her family, friends and community are rallying around her.
Jeff Roberts is the principal of Seaside High School. He and his wife, Nissa, are close family friends of the Wrights, who they said are “known to be givers.”
“She frankly instills a love of learning in the young people she has had an opportunity to influence, and there have been generations of them in this community,” said Jeff Roberts of Tracey Wright. “Our intent is to get her home.”
While the future of Tracey Wright’s health remains uncertain, she is setting short-term goals. She hopes to attend her daughter’s high school graduation in June.
Friends of the Wright family have set up a GoFundMe to help with expenses as Tracey recovers and are posting regular updates. More than $136,000 had been raised, as of early Wednesday.
Copyright 2025 KPTV via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.