CONYERS, Ga. — A single mother of two is recovering after being hit by a suspected drunk driver. The family opened up about the real-life impacts of drunk driving and about the driver not being charged with a crime.
“I saw him kind of veer in my lane, I saw the bright lights in my face and then at that moment, it was like just the impact,” said Rachel Woolridge, as she describes the head-on collision that left her unconscious. And, when she woke up, she was in the hospital.
“Pretty much my whole body was in a cast, my legs my arms, at that point they had already adjusted my nose, (my) face wasn’t bandages or anything like that but I had a concussion,” Rachel added.
The accident occurred on Old Covington Highway near Blacklawn Road on March 10. According to the police report, the officer on scene could smell the odor of alcohol on the driver who hit Rachel and she wasn’t the only one in the car at the time.
“I felt the impact in my eyes closed and then when I opened them back up, I saw that it wasn’t just an ordinary accident," Rachel's 8-year-old Jayden said. "It was a bad one because I saw my little brother on the floor and I looked at my mom she was in the front."
Jayden was bleeding from his head, his one-year-old brother had a broken leg. His mother had a concussion, a broken nose, a broken left wrist, a broken pinky, a broken knee and two broken ankles.
“My heart dropped, but thankfully he didn’t say that we needed to come identify bodies. He said, 'We’re going to airlift her,” Raceh's mom, Mary Woolridge, said.
Mary drove up from Orlando to help, since Rachel is stuck in a wheelchair and unable to use one hand, unable to work and unable or take care of her kids. However, despite all her injuries, Mary said the entire time her daughter was in the hospital, she was concerned about the drunk driver who hit her.
“She kept asking me, 'Mommy, how is the guy who hit me?,'” Mary added.
That driver was also transported to the hospital but, despite the police report noting the driver was driving under the influence, the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office said it's still investigating. Charges have not yet been filed in connection to the accident.
Still, Rachel has advice for anyone who drinks and gets behind the wheel.
“I just want people to know the effects that drunk driving can really have. It’s not just a 5-minute decision and 'I can drive and go home safely.' This is something that can impact someone’s life forever,” she added.
To make matters worst, the driver who hit Rachel wasn't driving their own car and the person who owned the vehicle may not have had insurance-- leaving Rachel and her family with few options. An online fundraiser has been set up to help with medical expenses.