LOWELL TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A Kent County woman who was nearly killed in a car crashlast fall is sharing her story to join the fight against distracted driving.
The crash happened along Vergennes Street in Lowell Township in October. A 16-year-old who recently got his license crossed the center line while looking at his radio, according to police, and crashed nearly head-on into Sadie Bowers' car.
It took first responders nearly two hours to extricate her, freeing Bowers from her mangled car.
“How could somebody do that much damage to me because they were playing with their radio?" asked Bowers, recalling the horrific event to FOX 17.
“I was not supposed to make it. In the back seat of the car was a body bag and a white sheet, but I made it through that, the extrication, and I made it through the hospital ride," she said.
Sadie said the first thing she remembers after the crash is waking to family surrounding her in the hospital: her legs, left hip and elbow were crushed. Sadie thought she would never walk again. Four months later, Sadie said she stood for the first time.
“It’s not worth it for people to play around on their phones, or play around on a radio," said Bowers.
Bowers said she had no choice to leave the work she loved as a certified nursing assistant, or to give up the freedom of doing everyday things like driving. Now she wonders why many drivers still aren't getting the message.
“It’s ridiculous that so many people drive distracted nowadays, I mean I still see it. We go down the road and I have to take an anxiety pill just to get in the car and go somewhere," she said.
Bowers faces lifelong injuries, and is scheduled for numerous surgeries in the next weeks. As she recovers, Bowers is pushing for harsher distracted driving laws.
“Basically they permanently disabled me. The maximum sentence, if he wasn’t a juvenile, is 93 days in jail," said Bowers. “I want my voice heard.”
