Family of paralyzed Boulder Creek woman recounts accident

Boulder Creek resident Michelle Kiss never imagined she would have to ask strangers for help. But after her 26-year-old daughter, Jamie, was in a car accident that paralyzed her from the waist down this summer, she had few options.
“It didn’t click that she was paralyzed at first,” Michelle recalled. “When I realized, my legs went wobbly. I couldn’t even tell you what happened that first month, it’s all such a blur.”
The crash that changed the Kisses’ lives happened a little before 3 a.m. on an unseasonably wet night in June. Jamie was driving home to Boulder Creek after dropping off a friend when her car spiraled out of control a few times before hitting a pole on Highway 236 at Brook Road.
“We’ll never know what really happened, because it was just her in the accident,” Michelle said. “It was drizzling that night, so I think that had something to do with it.”
The impact of hitting the pole snapped Jamie’s back and caused the paralysis. But the same pole ultimately saved her life, by blocking her car from tumbling into a ravine.
“You could say it was a blessing in disguise,” Michelle said.
Jamie survived the brutal crash with a fractured back, a spinal cord injury, two broken shoulders, two broken scapulas, nine broken ribs and head trauma. She had to have a metal rod put in her back.
At the time of the accident, she lived in Boulder Creek with her boyfriend, but after a four-month stay in the hospital, she is now at home with her family.
Many of Jamie’s expenses — for medical equipment, special transportation, home modification and health care services — are not covered by insurance, her mother said.
Michelle, who works as a real estate agent, said the time has been especially rough for the family, given the economy and the cost of her daughter’s needs.
“We’re hoping that getting her story out there will bring in suggestions, fundraising ideas and helping hands,” she said.
She said it’s been more than difficult to ask for help, but she is willing to do anything for her daughter. She recalled asking San Lorenzo Lumber for help to build ramps in her home so Jamie could get around in her wheelchair.
“The owner didn’t even bat an eye. He just said, ‘What do you need?’” she said. “They gave us all the materials and did all the work. Every little thing we needed, they did.”
Her husband’s local plumbers union donated $5,000 to the family, too, Michelle said.
“It was pretty amazing,” she said. “The experience has made us all grow. Life can change in a minute, and it’s important to enjoy it. We know that more than ever now.”
Six months after the accident, Jamie is doing well. While she has not fully recovered mentally, she books her own medical appointments and is keeping her spirits up.
“At first, I was totally overwhelmed. But this month, she’s come so far,” Michelle said. “She’s 26 years old. The ultimate goal is independence, and I now have no doubt that she is capable of getting there.”
How to help
• An account has been set up at Liberty Bank in the name of Michelle Kiss on behalf of her daughter, Jamie Kiss, at right, who was paralyzed in a car crash in June.
• To send suggestions for fundraising or to offer help, e-mail mi**********@co*****.net or jo*******@ch*****.net.