Skip to Content
800-533-8762
  • Careers
  • Newsroom
  • Health Care Professionals
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
UPMC
  • Find a Doctor
  • Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
    • Frequently Searched Services
      Allergy & Immunology Behavioral & Mental Health Cancer Ear, Nose & Throat Endocrinology Gastroenterology Heart & Vascular Imaging Neurosciences Orthopaedics
      Physical Rehabilitation Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Primary Care Senior Services Sports Medicine Telemedicine Transplant Surgery Walk-In Care Weight Management Women’s Health
      See all Services
    • Services by Region
    • Find a UPMC health care facility close to you quickly by browsing by region.
      UPMC in Western Pa. Western Pa. and New York
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Services
  • Locations
    • Locations by Type
    • Locations by Type
      UPMC hospitals
      Hospitals
      Physical Therapy
      Physical Therapy
      Urgent care
      Walk-In Care
      UPMC Outpatient Centers
      Outpatient Centers
      UPMC Imaging Services
      Imaging
      Community Health Centers
      Community Health Centers
      See All Locations
    • Locations by Region
    • Locations by Region
      UPMC in Southwest Pa. Southwest Pa.
      UPMC in North Central Pa. North Central Pa.
      UPMC in Northwest Pa and Ny. Northwest Pa. & Western N.Y.
      UPMC in West Central Pa. West Central Pa.
      UPMC in Central Pa. Central Pa.
      UPMC in Western Md. Maryland & West Virginia
    • See All Locations
  • Patients & Visitors
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
      Patients and Visitors Resources Pay a Bill Classes & Events Medical Records Health Library Patient Information
      Patient Portals Privacy Information Shared Decision Making Traveling Patients Visitor Information
      Man uses mobile phone
      Pay a Bill
      Nurse reviews medical chart
      Request Medical Records
  • Patient Portals
  • Find Covid-19 updates
  • Schedule an appointment
  • Request medical records
  • Pay a bill
  • Learn about financial assistance
  • Find classes & events
  • Send a patient an eCard
  • Make a donation
  • Volunteer
  • Read HealthBeat blog
  • Explore UPMC Careers
Skip to Content
UPMC
  • Patient Portals
  • For Patients & Visitors
    • Find a Doctor
    • Locations
    • Patient & Visitor Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Services
    • More
      • Medical Records
      • Financial Assistance
      • Classes & Events
      • HealthBeat Blog
      • Health Library
  • About UPMC
    • Why UPMC
    • Facts & Stats
    • Supply Chain Management
    • Community Commitment
    • More
      • Financials
      • Support UPMC
      • UPMC Apps
      • UPMC Enterprises
      • UPMC International
  • For Health Care Professionals
    • Physician Information
    • Resources
    • Education & Training
    • Departments
    • Credentialing
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Newsroom
  • UPMC >
  • Our Services >
  • UPMC Trauma Care >
  • Patient Stories >
  • beth jones
UPMC Trauma Care
What is a Trauma Center?
Locations
Patient Stories
UPMC Trauma Care
What is a Trauma Center?
Locations
Patient Stories

Chat Keywords List

  • cancel or exit: Stops your conversation
  • start over: Restarts your current scenario
  • help: Shows what this bot can do
  • terms: Shows terms of use and privacy statement
  • feedback: Give us feedback
Continue
Chat with UPMC
RESTART
MENU
CLOSE

Beth Jones: Trauma Patient

Beth Jones: Trauma Patient

Help in the Most Critical Times

"They responded in amazing ways. I felt like I had the whole hospital ready for me."

Beth is an experienced trail runner and hiker. She leads backpacking trips and day hikes to help people connect to nature. But while on a solo hike in the winter of 2022, Beth suffered life-threatening injuries.

Coming down the mountain behind her home, Beth slipped on a patch of snow and fell. She estimates she slid about 50 to 60 feet before striking a tree at high speed.

"I don't remember impacting it," she says of the tree. "I remember it coming at me, and then I remember lying next to it on the ground in this kind of divot in the mountain. It was kind of like the mountain was holding me. And I thought, I'd better get home.

"I stood up, and as soon as I stood up, I realized that I was in trouble, that there was a lot more wrong with me. I couldn't walk or go anywhere."

Beth called 911, and a rescue team located her and lifted her down off the mountain. An ambulance rushed her to UPMC Williamsport's trauma unit.

Her injuries included 12 broken vertebrae, six broken ribs, a broken bone in her shoulder, a broken orbital bone, and a broken finger. She also had a concussion, lacerations in her head that needed stitches, and was hypothermic from lying in the snow.

Although Beth remembers only bits and pieces of the care she received, the professionalism of the trauma team impressed her.

"They responded in amazing ways," she says. "I felt like I had the entire hospital ready for me. I know they probably had many other patients to attend to, but I felt like I was the only one."

Ronald Disimone, MD, performed fusion surgery on Beth to treat her spinal injuries. He installed two titanium rods and 24 screws to fuse together her thoracic spine. After the surgery, she spent several days in intensive care and a couple more in the step-down unit before transferring to physical therapy.

Beth remembers the physical therapy team's encouragement as they helped her take her first steps since her accident. She remembers walking down the hallway with her care team, looking out the window, and seeing the mountains.

"I think that was the turning point for me," she says. "Like, if I can do this, I can build on this."

Beth is back to doing what she loves, leading hikes and backpacking trips.

"Just being able to get out again and just being able to walk in the woods and be still in nature has been one of the biggest parts of my healing," she says.

She's thankful to everyone who helped her after her accident: from the 911 operator who took her call, to the firefighters and paramedics who responded, to her entire care team at UPMC Williamsport. She's gotten a chance to go back and thank all of them for helping her in her time of need.

Beth didn't choose to need emergency care, but she did choose UPMC.

UPMC
200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213

412-647-8762 800-533-8762

Patients And Visitors
  • Find a Doctor
  • Locations
  • Pay a Bill
  • Patient & Visitor Resources
  • Disabilities Resource Center
  • Services
  • Medical Records
  • No Surprises Act
  • Price Transparency
  • Financial Assistance
  • Classes & Events
  • Health Library
Health Care Professionals
  • Physician Information
  • Resources
  • Education & Training
  • Departments
  • Credentialing
Newsroom
  • Newsroom Home
  • Inside Life Changing Medicine Blog
  • News Releases
About
  • Why UPMC
  • Facts & Stats
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Community Commitment
  • Financials
  • Supporting UPMC
  • HealthBeat Blog
  • UPMC Apps
  • UPMC Enterprises
  • UPMC Health Plan
  • UPMC International
  • Nondiscrimination Policy
Life changing is...
Follow UPMC
  • Contact Us
  • Website/Email Terms of Use
  • Medical Advice Disclaimer
  • Privacy Information
  • Active Privacy Alerts
  • Sitemap
© 2025 UPMC I Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Supplemental content provided by Healthwise, Incorporated. To learn more, visit healthwise.org
Find Care
Providers
Video Visit
Portal Login