Two women celebrating college graduation were hit by a car—a bride nearby changed the course of events
Two college students, Chloe Handrich and Sam, met with a brutal accident at the intersection of Water and State streets, PEOPLE revealed. The 22-year-olds were celebrating their graduation that day and were unfortunately struck by a driver on the street. Having suffered serious injuries, it was the astute response of a bride, Alex Michaelis, that helped ensure the girls received as much medical help as possible before medics arrived. Michaelis was at her own wedding but jumped into action as soon as she heard, to provide assistance and do her duty.
The accident reportedly took place around 2 am. It was just hours after the duo’s graduation that a driver struck them at the intersection. The Milwaukee Police Department confirmed that the driver had disregarded a traffic barrier, which caused the crash. A GoFundMe set up for Sam revealed that the girls were on the street that had been “closed off to vehicles with barricades” and were stuck due to the driver’s negligence. Karen Handrich, mother of Chloe, recalled receiving the gut-wrenching call. "It's like every parent's nightmare. You never want to get a call like that. We got that call at 1:30 from the paramedics to meet us at Froedtert at the emergency room,” she explained.
Another GoFundMe was set up for Chloe, describing the brunt of the crash. Chloe suffered massive head trauma, liver lacerations, multiple pelvic and leg fractures and road rash covering her body. Sam had a broken nose, broken teeth, cuts all over that required 16 stitches, multiple broken bones, trauma to the head and internal contusions. Luckily, a stranger came to their aid at the accident site and it changed the course of events. The bride noted that she was at her wedding when she heard a “loud crash.” "It was just so loud. I just remember that. And when I got to the scene there, that's when I saw the two young women injured," she recalled, per WISN 12.
Being in her wedding dress, celebrating one of the most profound occasions of her life, the woman chose to leave and rush to the scene. The reason? Michaelis is a registered nurse and when she heard about the accident, she put her duty before everything else. Exercising humanity, exceptional professionalism and kindness, the bride ran in her wedding dress to the two women and immediately began checking on them. She even recalled being worried about one of the girls as she was still unconscious.
Michaelis provided all the help she could and the women were transported to the hospital. While Sam is making progress in her recovery, Handrich is still serious in the ICU. So far, Sam’s GoFundMe has raised $34,710 while Chloe’s has raised $39,745 for treatment, recovery and other expenses. The driver remained on the scene at the time and received a fine. "The trajectory of their lives has changed forever because of this reckless driver who completely ignored a barricade and went flying through it," Karen explained. There is an ongoing debate about whether an arrest should be made, given the outcome of this lack of road discipline.