Women Thank God, Community for Help after Accident
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
But it was God, Penrod and Raber believe, who saved their lives. And it’s their community – many who they don’t even know – who has helped them since the tragic accident at the intersection of County Farm Road and Ind. 14 on July 13.
“God had this happen for a reason, though I don’t know what it is right now, because He made it so everyone was there who needed to be there,” Penrod said during an interview Thursday afternoon at the Silver Lake home she shares with Raber.
Penrod and Raber were traveling on Ind. 14 July 13 on their motorcycle. They were about a quarter of a mile away from home when a 1993 Chevrolet Camaro, driven by Joshua J. Crawford, then 26, of Silver Lake, failed to see the motorcycle and struck it broadside.
Penrod’s leg was severed at the knee. At one point, she picked up her own left foot, looked at it and put it back down.
“I figured I was about gone,” she said. “That’s when you start praying.”
A former Marine, Stephen L. Wilson, then 21, of Mexico, Ind., happened to be traveling by on Ind. 14. Wilson didn’t hesitate. Seeing Penrod’s injuries were more severe of the two, he made an impromptu tourniquet to stop her bleeding. He also made sure Penrod stayed calm and didn’t go into shock.
If Wilson had arrived two to three minutes later, Penrod would have bled out. He was there when he was needed to be there.
Penrod said she still hasn’t met Wilson. She only recalls seeing his shadowy figure above her as she lay on the road.
Raber had six surgeries in nine days to put in pins, screws and rods in her left leg and have her skin grafted. Penrod had two surgeries in two days, and now has a prosthetic leg.
During the whole ordeal of the accident, Penrod said they never lost consciousness.
Crawford, on the other hand, wasn’t injured, but was arrested at the scene for driving with a suspended license and charges were forwarded to the county prosecutor.
One of Raber’s first concerns after the accident was their 17 horses and other pets. A friend who also stopped at the scene was given instructions by Raber as to what care the animals needed.
“We ride horses,” Raber said. “She (Penrod) used to go riding on weekends by herself. She can’t do that anymore.”
Crawford is now in jail, Raber said. They had to go to court at the end of April.
According to the sentencing order provided by the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office, Crawford was found guilty of Count I, causing serious bodily injury while operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and Count III, criminal recklessness resulting in serious bodily injury, Class D felonies.
Kosciusko Superior Court III ordered him to pay a fine of $100.50, court costs of $178.50, a probation administrative fee of $100 plus a State Alcohol Countermeasure of $200.
Crawford’s driver’s license and driving privileges were suspended for three years for Count I and three years for Count III, consecutively, retroactive to Nov. 4.
Crawford was ordered to be incarcerated in the Kosciusko County Jail for Count I for three years with one year suspended, and three years for Count III with one year suspended, two years of incarceration to be served consecutively.
Penrod said they want restitution, but they don’t expect to get any from him.
“He’s 27 and didn’t work a day in his life,” she said.
The court ordered Crawford to pay restitution to Raber in the amount of $34,075.77 with interest, and to Penrod in the amount of $55,202.12 with interest.
Both women are employees of Manchester Community Schools. Penrod has been with the school district for 31 years, Raber for 22.
Kyle Howard, chief executive officer for Safe-Way Garage Doors, Warsaw, said the two women had a lot of interests with the FFA groups in the area. With the accident, FFA members and others stepped up to do the choring around the home. Shifts of people, Howard said, came to the home to do chores and deliver meals.
“We don’t even know half the people,” Raber said. They came from North Manchester, Silver Lake, Warsaw and beyond. “It was awesome.”
First of October, Raber went back to work. Penrod went back to work the end of October.
“We’re very fortunate our employer has been phenomenal, they have let us come back,” Penrod said.
Due to the accident and resulting injuries, the women used up all of their accumulated sick leave and vacation time.
Howard heard about Penrod and Raber’s story from his wife who had jumped in to help them out. And Howard found a way for Safe-Way to help a member of its community.
Their Silver Lake home had a detached garage. With their injuries and Penrod’s prosthetic leg, it was difficult and unsafe, especially in the winter, for Penrod and Raber to walk out to their vehicles, so they had a connecting room built between the house and garage.
Safe-Way Garage Doors provided two carriage house garage doors, and Lift Master provided two garage door openers.
“Many people have commented how nice our garage doors look,” said Penrod. “They didn’t just give us bottom-of-the-barrel doors.They’re really nice.”
Howard said Safe-Way feels it’s important to “put your philanthropy into the community. We don’t get a tax credit for this, but we didn’t do it for that, but to help people in our community. I challenge more companies in the community to be more minded in that sense. I think there’s need for helping abroad and outside of the community, but there’s nothing like helping people in the community. We consider it a privilege to help.”
The two garage doors and openers were installed in mid-April, he said, with the project completed the first of May.
“There are people out there who care,” Raber said of Safe-Way and Lift Master.
In July, the women plan to have a party to say thanks to all the many different people who helped them, even though they don’t know half of who that was.
They were just in the right place when Penrod and Raber needed them.
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But it was God, Penrod and Raber believe, who saved their lives. And it’s their community – many who they don’t even know – who has helped them since the tragic accident at the intersection of County Farm Road and Ind. 14 on July 13.
“God had this happen for a reason, though I don’t know what it is right now, because He made it so everyone was there who needed to be there,” Penrod said during an interview Thursday afternoon at the Silver Lake home she shares with Raber.
Penrod and Raber were traveling on Ind. 14 July 13 on their motorcycle. They were about a quarter of a mile away from home when a 1993 Chevrolet Camaro, driven by Joshua J. Crawford, then 26, of Silver Lake, failed to see the motorcycle and struck it broadside.
Penrod’s leg was severed at the knee. At one point, she picked up her own left foot, looked at it and put it back down.
“I figured I was about gone,” she said. “That’s when you start praying.”
A former Marine, Stephen L. Wilson, then 21, of Mexico, Ind., happened to be traveling by on Ind. 14. Wilson didn’t hesitate. Seeing Penrod’s injuries were more severe of the two, he made an impromptu tourniquet to stop her bleeding. He also made sure Penrod stayed calm and didn’t go into shock.
If Wilson had arrived two to three minutes later, Penrod would have bled out. He was there when he was needed to be there.
Penrod said she still hasn’t met Wilson. She only recalls seeing his shadowy figure above her as she lay on the road.
Raber had six surgeries in nine days to put in pins, screws and rods in her left leg and have her skin grafted. Penrod had two surgeries in two days, and now has a prosthetic leg.
During the whole ordeal of the accident, Penrod said they never lost consciousness.
Crawford, on the other hand, wasn’t injured, but was arrested at the scene for driving with a suspended license and charges were forwarded to the county prosecutor.
One of Raber’s first concerns after the accident was their 17 horses and other pets. A friend who also stopped at the scene was given instructions by Raber as to what care the animals needed.
“We ride horses,” Raber said. “She (Penrod) used to go riding on weekends by herself. She can’t do that anymore.”
Crawford is now in jail, Raber said. They had to go to court at the end of April.
According to the sentencing order provided by the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office, Crawford was found guilty of Count I, causing serious bodily injury while operating a vehicle while intoxicated, and Count III, criminal recklessness resulting in serious bodily injury, Class D felonies.
Kosciusko Superior Court III ordered him to pay a fine of $100.50, court costs of $178.50, a probation administrative fee of $100 plus a State Alcohol Countermeasure of $200.
Crawford’s driver’s license and driving privileges were suspended for three years for Count I and three years for Count III, consecutively, retroactive to Nov. 4.
Crawford was ordered to be incarcerated in the Kosciusko County Jail for Count I for three years with one year suspended, and three years for Count III with one year suspended, two years of incarceration to be served consecutively.
Penrod said they want restitution, but they don’t expect to get any from him.
“He’s 27 and didn’t work a day in his life,” she said.
The court ordered Crawford to pay restitution to Raber in the amount of $34,075.77 with interest, and to Penrod in the amount of $55,202.12 with interest.
Both women are employees of Manchester Community Schools. Penrod has been with the school district for 31 years, Raber for 22.
Kyle Howard, chief executive officer for Safe-Way Garage Doors, Warsaw, said the two women had a lot of interests with the FFA groups in the area. With the accident, FFA members and others stepped up to do the choring around the home. Shifts of people, Howard said, came to the home to do chores and deliver meals.
“We don’t even know half the people,” Raber said. They came from North Manchester, Silver Lake, Warsaw and beyond. “It was awesome.”
First of October, Raber went back to work. Penrod went back to work the end of October.
“We’re very fortunate our employer has been phenomenal, they have let us come back,” Penrod said.
Due to the accident and resulting injuries, the women used up all of their accumulated sick leave and vacation time.
Howard heard about Penrod and Raber’s story from his wife who had jumped in to help them out. And Howard found a way for Safe-Way to help a member of its community.
Their Silver Lake home had a detached garage. With their injuries and Penrod’s prosthetic leg, it was difficult and unsafe, especially in the winter, for Penrod and Raber to walk out to their vehicles, so they had a connecting room built between the house and garage.
Safe-Way Garage Doors provided two carriage house garage doors, and Lift Master provided two garage door openers.
“Many people have commented how nice our garage doors look,” said Penrod. “They didn’t just give us bottom-of-the-barrel doors.They’re really nice.”
Howard said Safe-Way feels it’s important to “put your philanthropy into the community. We don’t get a tax credit for this, but we didn’t do it for that, but to help people in our community. I challenge more companies in the community to be more minded in that sense. I think there’s need for helping abroad and outside of the community, but there’s nothing like helping people in the community. We consider it a privilege to help.”
The two garage doors and openers were installed in mid-April, he said, with the project completed the first of May.
“There are people out there who care,” Raber said of Safe-Way and Lift Master.
In July, the women plan to have a party to say thanks to all the many different people who helped them, even though they don’t know half of who that was.
They were just in the right place when Penrod and Raber needed them.
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