ABC NewsBy WILL REEVE, ABC News
A woman lucky to be alive after being severely injured in June when a car crashed into a major Atlanta hospital spoke out for the first time, recalling the terrifying details and painful recovery process.
Kai Bailey, 29, was tending to a friend in the emergency room — sitting outside the ER due to COVID-19 protocols — at Piedmont Hospital when a Mercedes-Benz SUV crashed into the lobby, leaving one person dead and others injured.
“I looked up from my phone. There was a red SUV coming towards me as if it had been hit,” Bailey told ABC News. “I was running initially from [the] red SUV not knowing that the Mercedes was going to then run into the hospital, as I’m running into the hospital.”
A second dark gray vehicle, as seen on video, rammed past the red SUV outside and into the lobby area where Bailey was at the time.
“I’ve never been in so much pain in my life. Not even a mother, not even childbirth, could compare here to the pain that I feel,” she explained.
Bailey’s hips and pelvis were broken in the accident. She was unable to sit up or walk until she underwent extensive therapy at a rehab facility.
In a statement to ABC News, Atlanta Police public affairs officer Steve Avery said the crash is still under investigation, but “at this time no charges are anticipated.”
Bailey’s attorney, Jane Lamberti, told ABC News, “I have never seen a case where there has been a death or a serious injury, and the driver wasn’t even given a citation.”
Bailey plans to file a lawsuit against the hospital, but for now, she said all she wants is the chance to hold her daughter without pain.
“She also knows that mommy is hurting. She does a great job was trying to help me,” Bailey said.
And despite the physical struggle, the mother said she has become stronger by the outpouring of support from her family.
“It’s been very good to be home — I enjoy being home with my family and friends,” she said. “All of my family has just stepped in to help me out.”
Bailey has moved in with her mother as she continues to heal and recover.
Piedmont Hospital told ABC News it would not “comment on any pending claims or investigations as a matter of policy” but it continues “to express our deepest sympathies to the patients, families, and staff who were impacted by this accident and its aftermath.”
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