DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. – A man caught in the crossfire of a crash in Daytona Beach Shores is still on the road to recovery.
It happened on Atlantic Avenue in January.
[TRENDING: ‘American broomstick:’ SpaceX pokes fun at Russia in latest Florida Starlink launch | More rain hits Central Florida before BIG cooldown | Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)]
Daytona Beach Shores police said a black Nissan pulled out of a parking lot and slammed into a Ford Fusion sedan. It caused the sedan to spin out of control, hitting a light pole and a Votran bus stop pole.
That’s where Daniel Albury and Kera Hajek were standing after leaving Winn Dixie with their groceries.
Hajek predicted a crash would happen after spotting the Nissan, but she did not foresee what happened next.
“Slammed into the car and that car just spun out of control and came straight for us,” Hajek said.
The couple started running, but not quick enough to get out of the way.
“Next thing, I felt him push me and then I felt the car slam into my right side and slam me face-first into the ground,” Hajek said.
She said Albury tried to push her out of the way of the car hurtling. When the bus stop pole fell over, Hajek believes it hit Albury in the head.
“The pole was in between us and he was in the bushes face down with a big giant cut on his head and he was unconscious and I just freaked out,” Hajek said.
Daytona Beach Shores Police said Lauren Meyers is responsible for the crash. She sped off afterward.
“Just leaves him for dead, you know, what kind of person does that? Not a good one, not a good one at all,” Hajek said.
Officers found Meyers’ car unoccupied in a parking lot that day and arrested her the next day.
The couple was left to pick up the pieces of their lives, shattered after the crash.
“I need my Walker to get anywhere, it’s just so frustrating. I just turned 39 on the third, I figured I’d be able to take care of myself,” Albury said.
Albury has been in and out of the hospital since the day he was injured. He suffered a brain injury and was in a coma for two weeks. His fiance was worried he would never wake up.
“The day before he woke up the doctor had a talk with me, his mom and his sister about what his wishes were,” Hajek said. “If he wanted to live on machines for the rest of his life or you know what he wanted.”
After losing about 50 pounds and having multiple surgeries, Albury is still fighting to regain his health and strength.
“My thought process has changed dramatically, my goals in life have changed dramatically,” Albury said.
After recovering, Albury said he hopes to open his business back up and write a book.
Hajek said the financial impact of the crash has been catastrophic. She has not been able to work since the crash; she spends all day, every day trying to nurse her fiance back to health.
She and Albury are hoping to get support from the community to help with the medical costs.
In order to help Albury get the medical help he needs, she created this GoFundMe.