A seriously injured good Samaritan says she'd do it all again after being hit by truck trying to help a stranger.
A seriously injured good Samaritan says she would still help a stranger in need despite being hit by a truck while trying to help a 69-year-old woman cross a busy street.
Ashlee Bell, 33, suffered a broken pelvis, broken ribs and a battered face earlier this month when she rushed to help a woman with dementia crossing traffic in front of a Florida hospital.
Both women were struck by a truck driven by an 80-year-old man who was trying to go around vehicles that were stopped to let the women pass, according to authorities.
The older woman did not survive. Bell was airlifted to a trauma center for treatment of her life-threatening injuries.
The survivor recently told a local station that she still can't put one foot in front of the other and uses a walker.
“My legs aren’t cooperating right. It hurts," a tearful Bell told WFTS-TV in Tampa Bay.
The two women had almost made it across six lanes of Cortez Boulevard when the truck slammed into them.
“I don’t remember what happened next,” Bell said. She was thrown 30 feet into a ditch, authorities said. The woman she was helping died at the scene.
It devastates Bell that the woman she rushed to aid is no longer alive.
“I’m blessed to be alive. I think about it a lot because she didn’t make it," the survivor said. "So I’m happy to be here, but I’m in a lot of pain every day."
Bell's mother, Diane Conigliaro, isn't surprised her daughter went to help the woman.
“The woman reminded her of my grandmother, who is very close to my kids," Conigliaro said, fighting back tears. "So for her to stop and help her cross the street meant everything to her," the mother said. "For that reason, it’s very overwhelming.”
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the incident and charges have not been filed against the driver, authorities said.
Bell's mother has established a GoFundMe account to help with medical bills.
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