Goodrich-On June 6, Kimberly Roehm walked out of her home. A month later she returned in a wheelchair.
Roehm, 40, was nearly killed when a gravel hauler slammed into the front of her Chevrolet Envoy on M-15 near Bristol Road. Four vehicles were involved in the 9:30 a.m. accident.
‘I looked down, and the engine and dashboard were basically sitting on my lap. The windshield was shattered, and gravel was pouring in the car. The pain was intense and I just remember yelling, ‘Help’somebody help me.??
The accident, which is still under investigation, may have been caused by a motorist who failed to stop at the Bristol Road, M-15 intersection. The gravel hauler supposedly swerved to miss the car, which caused the gravel hauler to jackknife, according to Roehm.
Roehm pulled off the road, thinking she was out of harm’s way. Seconds later, the rear trailer snapped off, and crashed into the front of her car.
Moments after the accident, the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department, Davison-Richfield Fire Department, and three other police departments from Genesee County arrived to assist. The truck, which was smashed against the hood of her car, had to be lifted off by a crane supplied by Ferguson Block Co., of Davison.
Clinging to life, Roehm’s world had changed.
She was transported to Genesys Health Park for stabilization and was listed in critical condition. She was then transferred to Royal Oak Beaumont where she remained for 22 days, undergoing numerous surgeries and suffering many broken bones and ribs.
Roehm remembers screaming for help amid the twisted metal, piles of gravel and her car. A male Emergency Medical Service worker, held her hand during the ordeal.
‘He was pulling on the door trying to get me out, then pulling on the passenger door. He was holding my neck and supporting my head.?
Roehm does not know who the unidentified man is, but thinks of him often.
‘If anyone knows who he is, please tell him to call me so I can thank him for comforting me,? said Roehm.
A retired nurse also helped, taking crushed glass out of her arm, and her broken left finger.
Since she returned home from the hospital, she has been confined to a wheelchair’unable to lift even a soup can. The inventory of injuries include a shattered left knee, broken ribs, right hip pelvis fracture, pelvic bone fracture, tail bone fracture, and punctured lung, which has now recovered.
‘It’s hard to relearn everything that once came so natural to you.?
Although lucky to be alive, Roehm’s world had changed.
Roehm’s home based business, Sweet Serenity Herbs, Inc. has played a role in her recovery. Being very involved daily with medicinal herbs and nutrition, she was told by a nurse at the hospital they expected her physical therapy to go smoothly due to her healthy choices.
‘All my saints and angels were with me that day because it wasn’t my time to go. God has me here for a reason, and I believe that reason is more clearly defined than ever.?
She has the help of her three children, 17, 14, and 8. She has 24-hour nursing staff in her home and relies on others? strength as well as her own.
‘My 17-year-old was trained by the nurses how to care for me and transfer me, and I trained my 14 year old, Alyssa. The entire structure of this house is different to suit my needs just to do the most basic things.? said Roehm.
‘When I walked into the hospital room and saw my mom, I couldn’t believe it happened to her. I just thought to myself, oh my God, oh my God,? said Alyssa.
Roehm knows that she’s lucky to live to tell the story of her accident. Although reluctant to ask for help to tend to her herb gardens, she is grateful to them knowing her plants could not thrive as well as they have this summer.
‘I feel like I’m still stuck in June. Being in the hospital a month just screwed up my time frame. I wish I could go into my garden and just sit and weed, or do something. That’s what my whole summer is and I can’t enjoy it.?
I know how lucky I am, and I know that God has His reasons. I try not to be negative, because who wants to be around you when you’re like that. Besides that, it wouldn’t help my recovery one bit.?
By next summer, she hopes to be walking and getting back to her business, Sweet Serenity Herbs, Inc., doing demonstrations and seminars concerning the importance of herbs in everyday life.
She invites anyone to call her about information regarding her products, as she believes they have played a major role in her progress thus far.
Cooking herbs, oils, teas and other medicinal products can be ordered at (248) 891-4500.