CAPE CORAL, Fla. — A busy intersection in Cape Coral. Athena Bryant frequents the intersection of Hancock Bridge Pwky and Southwest 24th Avenue. She often walks across the street to grab some items from the store.
Last month she chatted with her sister-in-law on the phone when the walk signal lit up. She made her way across the street.
“I look to my left and I see that the car are going, so I am trying to hurry up to get to the middle," Bryant said.
She hurried to the middle median, so she could check to make sure the rest of the path was clear.
“I have enough time. He wasn’t that close to me. I look down and back at the road and I just get hit," she said.
She was hit by a truck. She was now lying in the middle of the road.
“As soon as he got out of the truck, he said, ‘are you okay? I didn’t see you.’ I said, ‘no, I am not okay call an ambulance.’ I am lying there trying to catch my breath. My lung was collapsed," Bryant said.
She said the pain soon set in.
“My arms are burning; they were on fire," she said.
Bryant was rushed to Lee Memorial Hospital. Her mom, Michelle Noe, was close behind after getting a call from her daughter.
“She is dealing with a shattered hip, fractured back, collapsed lung and eight broken ribs," Noe said.
Injuries that could have been avoided, she said. The intersection Bryant was crossing has problems similar to other areas. Once the pedestrian has the right of way, there is still traffic that can turn in their direction, so if the driver isn't paying attention, an accident like this could happen again.
“Please be careful," Noe said. “I can say since this has happened, I have slowed down.”
Bryant said she is telling her story, so people will slow down and pay attention to pedestrians on the road. She doesn't want this to happen to another family. As far as her recovery, she will have to undergo at least two weeks of physical therapy. She is unsure when she will be released from the hospital, but she is recovering faster than expected.
