A new mother is counting her blessings after and she and her infant son survived a head-on collision with a drunk driver in North Carolina – marking the second time in nine months she was involved in a car crash with an intoxicated driver.
Chelsea Evans was traveling with her 9-month-old son, St. Jires, in Fayetteville when their vehicle was struck head-on by a car that crossed the center line on Gillis Hill Road around 9pm Sunday .
‘It was me and my 9-month-old son in the car,’ an injured Evans told WRAL from her hospital bed.
‘The impact was so severe that the airbags deployed, and my car battery died. I couldn’t open the door to get to my son.’
Evans suffered a broken hand, internal bleeding in her thoracic cavity, multiple bone contusions and airbag burns.
Her son, who was in a car seat, survived without serious injury.
‘It’s a miracle because the force of the impact could have easily taken our lives,’ Evans said.
‘However, God stepped in and saved us.’
This is Evans’ second brush with an intoxicated driver in just nine months.
While pregnant with St. Jires, she was rear-ended by a drunk driver as she was coming home from a maternity photoshoot.
That driver attempted to flee, striking Evans’ vehicle a second time.
‘She backed up to flee the scene and hit me again,’ Evans said.
‘That crash caused me to start contracting and go into labor,’ Evans said.
She was rushed for an emergency C-section that saved her child’s life.
Police have identified Calvin McDonald as the driver responsible for Sunday’s crash.
He is currently hospitalized and will face charges of driving while impaired and failure to maintain lane upon release.
When asked what message she had for McDonald, Evans told WRAL: ‘To get his life in order because he almost took two lives.’
The young mother’s injuries have left her unable to work, as both her jobs require use of both hands.
Doctors have prescribed bed rest due to her significant pain levels.
Evans’ family has launched a GoFundMe page to help cover mounting medical expenses and lost wages during her recovery.
Her vehicle was declared a total loss in the collision.
‘Although work will be placed on hold, bills will not stop coming in,’ Evans’ mother wrote on the fundraising page.
‘If you can find it in your heart to help my daughter during this difficult time, it would be greatly appreciated.