ROGUE VALLEY, Ore.– Days before Thanksgiving, a Medford woman on her way home for the holiday was involved in a harrowing head-on crash in Utah. Luckily, a good samaritan saved her life and stayed with her until first responders arrived.
Andrea “Drea” Green, 28, is slowly recovering from her injuries. She has several broken bones along with fractures to her L5 vertebrae and tailbone. The horrible crash is still vivid for her but in this tragedy, she says there’s a silver lining and an outpouring of support she could never have imagined.
Currently residing in Colorado, it was supposed to be a simple trip back home to the Rogue Valley. On the road with her dog Theodore, Drea was hit head-on by a drunk driver.
“As I came around a turn I saw lights coming at me in my lane and I was really confused,” she said. “Everything happened really fast.”
Drea was trapped in her car which caught on fire.
“My leg was crushed and stuck against my dashboard,” she said.
Luckily, someone came to her rescue. A Utah man, Blake Grundvig, who was on his way hunting just happened to pass by at the right moment.
“Blake had a fire extinguisher and put it out and so that literally saved my life,” said Drea. “I would have burned to death.”
Blake and another woman, Bri, who Drea remember stayed with Drea for three hours until paramedics came to make sure she was all right. But not everyone made it.
Drea’s best pal Theodore died in the crash. She says he was just about to turn eight.
“He was my best friend and we did literally everything together,” she said, tearfully.
Still, Drea and her family are thankful for those that saved her life. Blake even stopped by the hospital in Salt Lake City to check in.
Through tragedy, Drea continues to remain upbeat laughing with family and enjoying the time they have together.
“I get to be here with my family even longer than I expected,” she said with a laugh.
But above all, she is grateful. She says Blake is now a friend for life and he and his family already have plans to visit her in Oregon soon. She hopes to take them on hikes around the Rogue Valley once she is able to walk again.
“It’s just… thank you, everyone… it’s just been so great.”
Drea says she did not have medical insurance at the time of the crash.
Her friends have started a GoFundMe to help pay for her medical bills.
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