Our daughter Rachel was in a terrible car accident, and our family is asking for help during what has quickly become an overwhelming and frightening time.
Rachel was trying to work doing Walmart deliveries when she received a notification regarding her delivery. In the process of looking down briefly at the notification, she took a corner too sharply in the Walmart parking lot and struck one of the concrete posts.
What happened next was something no mother ever wants to imagine...
Due to reasons unknown, Rachel's airbags never deployed and even though she had her seat belt on, her seatbelt never locked up causing her to break her neck. She suffered a massive head wound requiring 28 stitches and 8 staples into her scalp, has significant swelling and bruising around her eye, and is now in a neck brace. She is incredibly fortunate to be alive.
She is facing a minimum of approximately 8 weeks in the neck brace, assuming she does not require surgery when she sees the orthopedic specialist in the coming weeks. Right now, we simply don't know what the next several weeks or months will look like.
And unfortunately, the accident didn't just leave Rachel injured. Her 2004 Ford Explorer was totaled.
That vehicle may not have been much to look at, but it was everything to her. It got her and her 5-year-old son, Drew, to school, appointments, activities and wherever they needed to go. More importantly, it allowed Rachel to do delivery work and make enough money to help pay her bills while she has been fighting for disability for nearly 5½ years because of her ongoing autoimmune health problems.
Rachel only carried liability insurance, so there is no coverage to replace her vehicle. The towing and storage alone have already cost approximately $300, money that we simply did not have and that we had to cover for her.
Now she has no vehicle, cannot work, cannot do the physical community service that is an alternative to a monthly legal payment, and is facing medical expenses from this accident on top of everything else.
There is also uncertainty surrounding the medical bills. Because this was an automobile accident, we don't yet know how her medical coverage will handle the accident-related expenses or what portion may ultimately fall on Rachel.
Our family is doing everything we can.
Rachel and Drew currently live with us, and we are grateful beyond words that we are able to give them a roof over their heads and help where we can. But we are stretched thin ourselves.
I am 62 and currently the only one of us working outside the home. I work at our local hospital. I have had a heart attack myself, and my husband Philip is disabled, uses a wheelchair and requires dialysis after undergoing open-heart surgery several years ago.
Rachel has already fought through more than most people will ever know. After a 14-year battle with addiction, she has now been clean and sober for six years. She has spent those years rebuilding her life, being a mother to Drew, working whenever her health allowed, and continuing to fight for disability while dealing with chronic autoimmune health problems. She has worked incredibly hard to get to where she is today.
To see her lose her health, her ability to work, and now her only vehicle all at once is heartbreaking. She was finally finding ways to move forward, and this accident has put her in a position where she simply cannot do it alone.
We never imagined that we would be in a position where we needed to ask others for help. But right now, our daughter needs her community.
We are setting the goal at $10,000, although we absolutely do not expect to reach that amount. Every single dollar will help. Our biggest hope is to raise enough to help Rachel get another reliable vehicle, even something comparable to the older Explorer she had before. We've seen vehicles in the $6,000–$10,000 range, and having transportation would be life-changing for her and Drew.
Any remaining funds will go toward accident-related medical expenses, transportation, necessary bills and the costs of getting Rachel through this recovery period until she is able to work again.
If you are able to donate, thank you. If you can't, please share this fundraiser and keep Rachel and Drew in your prayers.
We will be sharing pictures of Rachel's injuries, her stitches and staples, the aftermath of the accident with updates, and our family because we want people to understand just how serious this has been. She has been through a lot, and right now we are simply incredibly thankful that she is still here with us.
Thank you for every prayer, every share, every kind message and every dollar. We truly mean it when we say that anything helps.
With love,
Rachel's Mom,
Cathy Williams
❤️🙏🏻♥️
