RAMONA, Calif. (KGTV) – A gathering was set to be held Wednesday to remember a Ramona woman who recently passed away from injuries sustained in a 2019 hit-and-run crash.
“Instead of looking at this as a life being cut short, I’m looking at this as if those days were two days each. So we got a lot squeezed into those short years,” said Donald Scott.
Donald said as difficult as the last three years have been, he’s trying to remain positive because that’s what his wife Michelle would expect form him.
In October 2019, Michelle was biking to work on state Route 67 when investigators said a driver swerved onto the shoulder and hit her.
Investigators said the driver didn’t stop, but some bystanders rushed to Michelle’s aid after she suffered life-threatening injuries.
“I told my wife, ‘We’re going to get you fixed up.’ I didn’t plan on saying goodbye,” Donald said.
Michelle would miraculously survive that horrifying crash, but that would just be the start of a long journey.
She was transferred from hospitals to rehab facilities, and while she made some progress, Michelle would never fully recover.
“There were numerous steps that showed recovery, not leaps and bounds, but with this type of this injury, you’ll see small accomplishments,” said Donald.
In November 2022, Michelle passed away.
Donald said that through it all, he’s had family and friends who have stepped in to help him navigate through what he calls a living nightmare.
“It’s almost like being in a terrible dream that when you are asleep, you’re having bad dream of the person that you love. And then when you are awake you are living that dream,” he said.
But if he can take anything from this, Donald said it’s being able to encourage others to live the way his wife did, never being scared or backing down from any battle life throws at us.
“Stare a challenge right in face. Put on our big boy and big girl pants and try to succeed,” Donald said.
The driver who struck Michelle recently finished serving his prison sentence.
Donald said he takes comfort in knowing that as part of the driver’s sentence, he was required to perform community service -- which means he gave back to the community that Michelle loved.
A funeral service for Michelle Scott was held Wednesday afternoon, and a celebration of life event to honor and remember Michelle was scheduled to be held Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Ramona VFW Post 3783, located at 2247 Kelly Ave. in Ramona.
