On the night of July 13, 2022, the most unimaginable change happened to my life.

I was struck by a lady who was under the influence of hardcore street drugs. The impact caused my vehicle to veer off the highway, flip numerous times, and go airborne before striking a line of trees and ending up on its top.

Lucky for me, I survived but not without damage. I ended up losing not only my car but consciousness during the turmoil and ended up with a concussion that I still have issues with to date. I sustained injuries literally from head to toe including but not limited to torn ligaments, PTSD, and foreign objects that had to be cut out of multiple places of my body. Not to mention the reoccurring night terrors I had of the roof crushing in coming only a few inches from my head. The fear: fear consumed my life so much that the little things that I wouldn't flinch at previously would cause me to scream out from being terrified. I was in such bad shape that I even needed help doing my simple daily activities like getting dressed. My body was swollen to the point of not being able to fit some of my clothes and most of my shoes.

At the time I was enrolled in school and studying to get multiple IT certs under the IT Support Technician course. With my notebook being destroyed in the accident and my memory being drastically affected, I was unable to take the tests necessary to get certified.

Since my accident, I have gone from seeing a healthcare professional 5 days a week (sometimes multiple times a day) to once a month or as needed.

It was at that time that I have ever felt the most helpless I could ever feel and I feel that way again looking at these bills! :( This comes from a person that not often asks for help and is usually the one helping and even handing a buck or five to the homeless.

As far as insurance goes the at-fault driver and I both had minimum coverage and that hardly put a dent in the medical bills that came and continue to come since I am still actively receiving medical treatment and will now be under the care of a neurologist. Insurance covered all but over $20,000 of the bills and that is with maximum payout and the help of an attorney.

Now that some of the bills have been paid I have been left to cover the remaining balances myself and have been told that there is nothing else I can do under NC laws. I am doing my best to prevent these bills from going to collections and feel that it is unfair for me to face such hardship due to the negligence and irresponsibility of another driver.

So here I am talking about the story of my life that I've dreaded talking about and asking for the help of anyone who would be willing. While I should be concerned about getting better, I am highly stressed about the bills that have come to my door. Lucky to be alive but the not-so-lucky person who gets dealt the bad hand of cards when just trying to live the best life possible.

Thank you!

~Berta~