Jay and Elaine Ludwig were at the end of in vitro fertilization with only one egg left. There wasn’t going to be another chance. But, it turns out, they didn’t need one.
On April 29, 1996, Jay and Elaine’s first and only child, Amanda Ludwig, was born. Barely more than 18 years later, Elaine and her only daughter died in a car accident Saturday just outside of Cincinnati.
“With people in your lives as much as close family are, you see them and interact with them, but you always expect that you’re going to see them a thousand more times,” Eric Haberthier, Amanda’s ?cousin, said.
Amanda was a freshman at IU studying to become a physician’s assistant. She was smart enough and motivated to go to medical school, but she wanted to be in contact with patients as much as possible, ?Haberthier said.
“Amanda’s big thing was helping,” Haberthier said. “Anyone who knew her would tell you that.”
And her friends did. Her roommate Hannah Calvin and floor mate Jessica Carter both said no matter what problems she was facing, she always put others first.
“One night I was walking home alone, so I called her,” Carter said. “Her and all her sisters came and were there to walk me home.”
She had recently been accepted as a sister into Theta Phi Alpha at IU, and Carter and Calvin said she couldn’t stop talking about it.
Before coming to IU, Amanda attended Northwest High School in Cincinnati, where she spent most of her time running cross-country, playing soccer and working.
Her favorite movie was Frozen. Calvin said they kept two copies in their room.
“One night I was watching it in my room while she was trying to sleep,” Calvin said. “She was trying to sleep, but I could hear her singing the songs while ?falling asleep.”
Just a few weeks ago on Valentine’s Day, she spent hours at Target picking out just the right candy and decorations for a box to send Private First Class Sean Nouv, who is in Texas right now. She was so excited about it, she sent Snapchats to Calvin.
Amanda was mature for her age, Haberthier said. According to him, she had a much better ratio of studying to drinking than he and his friends had at her age.
“She would have tests and not move for five to six hours and be like, ‘Wow, I could’ve done better,’” Carter said. “She was just so hard-working and motivated.”
The investigation of the accident is still ongoing. Elaine and Amanda were driving when they came to a complete stop on the bridge, according to a Boone County Sheriff’s Department ?press release.
The semitrailer behind them swerved and missed hitting them, but the semitrailer behind the first truck was unable to avoid it, according to the press release.
These facts bring up concerns for Haberthier, who said the bridges around Cincinnati are outdated and dramatically over capacity.
“It’s a bigger issue, but in moments like this you wonder why we spend so much money on other things like wars and otherwise, and yet billions could be put to ?bridges,” Haberthier said.
He said he wonders what would have happened if the bridges were up to code.
“Someone died because they didn’t have the mandated shoulder to pull over on that’s required,” Haberthier said. “There’s no way this is the first time it’s happened, and there’s no way it’s ?the last.”
Haberthier said he hopes people don’t just remember Amanda’s personality, but also to not take life for granted and cherish the things Amanda would never get to.
“It’s funny, but I try to think of soaring overviews,” Haberthier said. “It’s tough. It feels so generic, all those positive things you say when people die, except for her ?it’s true.”
