Recently, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published an article on a young distracted driver that got a second chance at life. On February 9, 2008, Molly Welch was driving back to Auburn after spending a weekend at home in Alpharetta. Heading down I-85, Welch was brainstorming on an upcoming journalism assignment. To document her thoughts, she reached for a tape recorder on the passenger seat (and in the process, it fell to the floorboard). While trying to grab it, she veered across the median and crashed head-on into an oncoming truck.
Luckily, she survived the accident but not without a decade of healing and therapy. She spent weeks in a coma, then a month at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. “She was there for an entire month without making any progress. With her brain so badly injured, doctors doubted she’d ever walk or talk again,” says the AJC. She was sent home with a grim prognosis.
But, with family by her side, she began making progress nearly a month later. She went on to spend years in-and-out of intense therapy returning to Shepherd and their outpatient facility. Welch made progress every step of the way, proving her second chance at life.
Since the car accident in 2008, Welch finished her degree in journalism from Auburn University and found a job in social media for an advocacy group in Chamblee. In 2016, she had a serendipitous meetup with two entrepreneurs at Starbucks. After hearing her story over a cup of coffee, they helped her create a public service announcement on the dangers of distracted driving. Before COVID-19, she was speaking at schools and churches about the importance of perseverance and the dangers of driving while being distracted. Her goal was to inform others in hopes of saving lives or, in her case, saving people from nearly a decade of healing.
Welch says, “Life can change on a dime. Keep your eyes on the road. It could save you a world of hurt and might even save your life.”
If you have questions regarding an accident involving driver distractions, contact the distracted driving lawyers at HS Law today. The first consultation is absolutely free. Call 404-400-1175 to discuss your options today.
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