Woman finds Salmon Arm couple who saved her life after Coquihalla crash
A Lower Mainland woman who says she would not be alive today if it wasn’t for a Salmon Arm couple has reconnected with her saviours to thank them.
Katie Potts, from Maple Ridge, was travelling along the Coquihalla, July 11, 2021, with her boyfriend when she was involved in a serious car crash by Larson Hill.
“I was pretty much thrown from the vehicle,” she said. When she woke up she saw her leg and a portion of her right hand were missing. She also broke her back, elbow and foot.
Her boyfriend tried to wave down vehicles but they passed by before one finally stopped. Salmon Arm residents Jarrod and Marilyn Thomas pulled over and jumped into action, Potts said.
Marilyn had her first aid and kept putting water on Potts lips as they waited for an ambulance. She kept fainting and told her boyfriend something needed to be done or she would die due to the blood loss.
Jarrod used a string to create a tourniquet for her leg and her boyfriend tied off her hand to stop the bleeding. It took 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive on scene and roughly 45 minutes to get there, she said.
“The couple was very hands-on, trying to help me, trying to calm me down, trying to make me think of a better situation than the one that I was in, I wanted them to get the recognition,” she said.
It only took her a week through the power of media and social media to locate the couple and to thank them.
“We were very determined (to find them,)” Potts said. “I just can’t believe we found them, it was a big shock for sure.”
READ MORE: Woman seriously injured on Coquihalla last July seeks couple who helped save her
Potts and Marilyn have been in contact since Sunday and have been messaging back and forth since first connecting.
“It definitely feels like a blessing she was there… otherwise I wouldn’t be here. It’s a lot for anyone to do and they did it. I turned 21 this year because they pulled over. It’s a big blessing for me and I’m never going to forget that,” Potts said.
She plans to meet up with them.
“We were saying how we have this bond that is something that we’ll never forget and we’ll never forget each other,” Potts said.
Potts currently has a prosthetic leg and has been able to walk and will be getting another hand surgery before she gets a hand prosthetic.
“I’m happy with where I am right now. There are ups and downs but that’s just recovery,” she said.
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