CA Another illegal drunk destroys life of a mom

Unbelievable! The same thing happened to a mom in Los Gatos. When is this madness going to stop.

Mother of two happy to be alive after losing legs in accident
By MARSHA DORGANRegister Staff Writer
Thursday, February 07, 2008

The Napa woman whose legs were crushed when she was hit by a drunk driver Sunday night has a long, tough road to recovery.Doctors at Queen of the Valley Medical Center operated on Lilian Clark the night of the crash, amputating both of her legs just above the knee, according to her husband, John Clark.
Clark, 38, is the mother of two boys, 4 and 6. She was pinned between the rear bumper of her car and a 1990 Plymouth driven by Francisco Pacheco, 24, of Napa.
UPDATE: Immigration hold placed on drive in injury crash
The crash happened around 6:30 p.m. Sunday on South Terrace Drive, north of Shetler Avenue.After the crash, Pacheco put his car in reverse and sped away from the scene. Neighbors followed him to his house about a block away, where they held him until police arrived and arrested Pacheco on felony DUI, hit and run and driving without a valid license. Pacheco has a prior misdemeanor DUI conviction from January 2007. He is on probation.He is being held in the county jail on $100,000 bail.Pacheco does not have auto insurance.“I have no idea at this time what will be involved in Lili’s recovery. I know there will be months, maybe years of rehab, and she will have to be fitted for prosthesis,” her husband said. A fund has been set up to help the family with medical expenses and to bring Lilian Clark’s family from Chile, where they live, so they can help out with the children and their family member’s recovery. Donations may be made at Washington Mutual Bank, 699 Trancas St., Napa, 94558. The account is under the name Lilian Clark and Children. Clark said that on the night of the accident, his wife had double-parked her car and was putting their sons, Jake and Sam, in their child safety seats.“She went around to the back of the car to get to the driver’s door. I was right there. I said ‘see you later,’ and within a split second I heard tires screeching and saw this car come roaring down the street about 50 miles an hour and just slam into the back of Lili’s car, pinning her between the two bumpers,” Clark said. With the impact of Pacheco’s car, John Clark said, “The trunk popped open, and she flew inside. Then, the guy threw his car in reverse and left. Lili just fell to the ground in a heap. The neighbors ran out of the house. I was yelling ‘Call 911.’ They said they already had and asked me which way the guy went. They followed him in their car and found his car parked in front of his house down the street.“I was holding Lili. She was conscious. All she kept saying was ‘Check the kids.’ Her legs were crushed, and she was just worried about the kids,” he said. “The kids were crying and saying ‘What happened to Mommy?’ The neighbors helped me and we kept the kids from seeing what happened. Just horrific, horrific is the only way I can describe it.” Doctors amputated her legs that night. “There was no way they could save her legs.” She had over 60 breaks in her bones, Clark said. Clark said his wife had undergone her third operation on Tuesday. “She knows what has happened. She’s such a strong woman, I just can’t believe it. Like I said, her main concern is the kids.“They took the tubes out Tuesday and she got to see the kids. They need to know that mom is going to make it. Lili is in good spirits. She feels very fortunate to be alive. That woman is just remarkable,” Clark said. Lilian Clark is from Chile.“I met her when I was visiting friends in Chile in 1996. We struck up a friendship which blossomed. I tried everything to get her a visa to live in America. Nothing worked. I was finally successful in getting a fiancé visa. She came to Napa in 1999, and we got married,” Clark said. Lilian Clark had worked as temporary office employee. More recently, she has been a stay-at-home mom.