REPRINTED in part from the St. Albans Messenger
Posted on October 8, 2013 by Ann Hawksby, Messenger Correspondent
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SWANTON — Sarah Parker, 39, a mother of four who was left paralyzed after a tragic motorcycle accident on Aug. 1, was finally able to return to her home here, on Friday, Sept. 27.
Having to be carried into her house was difficult for her, but rolling around on the bed with her five-year old-daughter, Ava Jerome, seemed to be just the medicine to help soothe her soul.
“The smiles on both their faces were priceless,” said Sarah’s mother, Debbie Call.
That playtime helped Parker forget, if only for a moment, the pain and injury she had already endured and the long road ahead.
It is a journey she finds littered with questions about the cause of the accident, the injustice she feels and the uncertain times ahead.
Parker, who had been working two jobs and going to school, must find a way to rebuild not only her home, but her life. She has already accrued more than $200,000 in medical expenses and the person who police say was responsible for the accident was uninsured.
Parker also made it clear that she must find a way past her own anger.
In an interview on Sunday she said she finds strength in the generous outpouring of support from family, friends, colleagues, employers, and business acquaintances.
“I want to thank them all. I don’t want to forget anyone,” Sarah Parker said.
[…]Parker’s lawyer, Michael Sabbeth of the Law Office of Shillen and Mackall, of Woodstock, has contacted the Vermont State’s Attorney in Franklin County to voice his concerns about the accident investigation.
“It (the accident report) inadequately reflects the severity of what actually occurred,” Sabbeth said.
“It could take a while to get a response, but I have sat down with the partners at my law firm and we intend to use all the resources available,” he said of the legal inquiry into the accident.
“We will do everything within our abilities to get some sort of justice for Sarah,” Sabbeth added.
“Sarah needs a lot more grassroots help for the financial and medical catastrophes she has and will continue to suffer,” said Sabbeth. He explained that he acts on his client’s behalf as her lawyer but also as a person whose dear friend was paralyzed as a result of a motorcycle accident several years ago.
“We need to seize the momentum while it is here, while it is fresh in our minds, and not let Sarah’s needs be forgotten.
“She’s a giver, she was the LPN of the year, she has devoted her life to caring for and helping others, now we need to help her,” Sabbeth said.