An Ohio police chase that ended in a fiery crash last week caused a bystander to lose her left arm.
Lacey Fredrick, 33, drove from her warehouse and office job to a local store to grab lunch supplies for her coworkers during a work shift when the collision occurred in the northeastern Ohio city of Toledo. She laid her left arm outside the window before her vehicle rolled over multiple times.
“I do not recall losing consciousness at all. I can reenact the whole incident. My car pretty much rolled onto my left arm and skidded across the road until it stopped rolling,” Fredrick told USA TODAY.
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Toledo officers responded to a report of a stolen minivan Tuesday morning that proceeded in a chase when suspect Aquaveonce Moore did not pull over, according to police records. When Moore ran a red light the stolen vehicle struck Fredrick’s midsize SUV as she entered the intersection, records say.
Moore was booked at Lucas County jail Wednesday with a $250,000 bail and charged with receiving stolen property and failure to comply with police.
Fredrick said she unbuckled her seatbelt after her SUV stopped moving where she saw bones, tendons and muscles dangling out of her arm. She witnessed Moore running from officers before he was detained. She said an officer proceeded to help her.
“If it wasn’t for his quick actions, pulling out that tourniquet. I wouldn’t be here today because I was bleeding so profusely,” Fredrick said.
Officials extracted Fredrick out of the car when they couldn’t open the door and took her to a local hospital. As someone who enjoys watching medical shows, Fredrick said she hoped surgeons would find a way to preserve her arm in a medical miracle. Ultimately, doctors had to surgically remove her left arm below the elbow due to the lack of arteries, muscle and tissue left.
“I was just trying to stay positive but I did have those negative thoughts that just looking at it and not knowing medical terms, I can just see that I felt like that was going to lose my arm and I wasn’t able to make that decision myself,” Fredrick said. “I will admit those negative thoughts were definitely very intrusive in my brain.”
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Fredrick’s parents informed her about her arm when she woke up after surgery with a breathing tube preventing her from talking. The first thing she asked was, “did they catch him?”
She said she hasn’t fully processed the traumatic incident but expects to when she returns home from the hospital. She added she wishes nothing but the worst for Moore, stating she believes in “an eye for an eye.”
Fredrick’s mother Linda said their family is lucky the incident didn’t take their daughter’s life.
“My daughter’s life she’s learned a lot of stuff with one hand and for what? Somebody running from the law over stealing a stupid car and stolen property,” Linda said. “He ruined my daughter’s life but he’s not going to ruin her spirits.”
A GoFundMe page created by Fredrick’s cousin has raised over $5,000 as of Monday with a goal of earning more to help life the burden of expensive medical procedures. Fredrick’s latest surgery was set for Monday which could potentially be her last.
Moore’s next court date is set for Wednesday.
USA TODAY
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