OCONEE COUNTY, Ga. — An EMT seriously injured Saturday in an ambulance crash faces a long recovery.
Kayla Smith, 29, and a single mother with three young children, had surgery to repair extensive leg and arm injuries, and underwent additional surgery on Monday, Online Athens reports. She’s expected to be out of work for at least six months.
Supporters have set up a gofundme.com account that’s raised nearly $13,000 as of Tuesday morning, with a fundraising goal of $20,000.
Others are also selling T-shirts that read “EMS: More than friends and coworkers … we are family” on teespring.com, and a colleague is raffling off a shotgun and all proceeds will go to Smith.
Smith was injured when a car pulled in front of an ambulance with lights and sirens on, causing it to overturn. The driver accidently turned left instead of right in an attempt to get out of the way, and thought she was doing the right thing, Georgia State Patrol Trooper Chris Jones said.
The woman was not issued a citation, but was given a written warning for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.
Smith was extricated and transported to Athens Regional Medical Center. The EMT driving the ambulance, and an EMS student in the back were both treated and released.