BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. – It was a ‘thank you’ first responders never thought they’d hear.
On Tuesday afternoon, Dr. Emma Jefferies thanked all the firefighters, paramedics and doctors who helped save her life.
Back on June 17, Jefferies was rescued from a wreck on Interstate 81 near mile marker 160 in Botetourt County.
Gary Rock with the Troutville Volunteer Fire Department was one of the first people on the scene. When he saw the wreck, he didn’t think anyone would be able to survive.
“A tractor-trailer had stopped and another one had ran into the rear of her and pushed her into the rear of the first one. So she was completely underneath the tractor-trailer,” said Rock. “When I pulled up that was probably what I was thinking, it was going to be a body recovery.”
Jefferies, who did not want talk to 10 News on camera because of a pending lawsuit she filed after the crash, said she suffered serious injuries, including a scalp laceration, neck fracture and severe bleeding.
Tim Harris, a part-time paramedic from Roanoke County, drove the ambulance that transported Jefferies to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital where she spent nine days.
“God had to be riding beside of her, there’s no other way out of that,” said Harris. “To see the shape that that vehicle was in, it was just a miracle that she even survived it.”
Carole Jefferies, Emma’s mother, said she can’t thank the men and women in enough for saving her little girl.
“It warms my heart and feeds my soul,” said Carole. “It’s just amazing.”