- Hi, my name is Amber Fleming. My mom, Dawn Rock (Bjorkman), 52 of Kingsford, was one of the victims in an incredibly tragic accident that took place at NorthPointe on June 1st, 2023. A car crashed through the building and hit my mom directly, who was sitting inside. My little brother, John Manowski, was next to her and also got hit with bricks from the building but still got up and ran out to the car to get the driver's foot off the gas pedal- which she still had floored even after impact with the building. He saved our mother’s life by preventing the car from running her over completely. My mom's nose and upper lip were torn from the rest of her face and hanging down in her split open mouth from being launched across the room and directly smashing her face into a desk. She was conscious for the entire event, held her face together for dear life, and relocated her own leg under the rubble. She thought she had been shot in the back of the head by a shotgun and the bullet had come out of her mouth until she heard the car still revving after impact. She was immediately air-lifted to Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wisconsin via Guardian Flight from Dickinson County Hospital (now called Marshfield-Dickinson). She received a 4 hour emergency facial reconstruction surgery to re-attach her nose and upper lip immediately when she landed. She lost a lot of blood and a majority of her teeth. She is missing a lot of bone in her nose and jaw. She will need to go back to Marshfield, Wisconsin in 5-6 months to get another oral surgery to receive extensive bone graphing in her jaw in order to get her dental implants (when her mouth and face is healed enough to do so). She does not have function in her hands and is suffering from acute Hyperesthesia (hypersensitive nerve damage) in them due to the spinal cord injury in her neck from the accident- so she can’t use them and if anything touches the skin, she screams out in complete agony. She can’t go outside if the wind is too strong, it hurts. She received a 4 hour emergency spinal cord surgery the day after her face was reconstructed to attempt relieving the nerve pain in her hands and maybe give her a chance to regain use of them down the line- which is highly unlikely with how damaged her spinal cord is. Without that surgery though, she would have been paraplegic the rest of her life. Post surgery - she is slightly able to move her arms up and down, but that’s it. She is lucky to be alive and we are entirely thankful that she is. It is a miracle and an absolute medical phenomenon she can walk and has use of her legs, but she is extremely traumatized and beyond devastated. She will never sit near the outside perimeter, or any windows, of any building ever again. She will never return to NorthPointe again. She keeps replaying the scene in her mind in slow-motion which causes her extreme anxiety to the point of hyperventilation. Today she saw her face for the first time (by accident when walking past a mirror I didn’t see in time to cover up) and says she will never leave her house again because of it. My brother is a hero, but is also severely traumatized by everything that happened. I’m raising funds to help with medical costs, transportation/travel costs, in-home care costs for my mom, and relocation expenses so mom has her family close by to help with her care. We will have to travel back and forth from Kingsford to the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin quite a bit over the next several months. I will need to find a place to rent in Kingsford, MI and temporarily relocate my family in order to help out with her care for a few months at the very least. My Mom and Brother are the strongest people I know, because I don’t think anyone else could’ve survived this. No amount of money will ever heal the emotional and physical trauma my mom and brother, along with the NorthPointe staff, have experienced and suffered from this tragic event. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. There is also a donation account set up for mom at the Range Bank located at 345 South Carpenter Ave in Kingsford, MI 49802 if you prefer to donate that way. We sincerely appreciate all of the love and support we've been receiving from everyone and we are truly grateful for it. She has a very long road to recovery ahead of her.

