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A means to an Enns

Community begins to pull together and dig deep for one of its own as Rosslander Carol Enns lays in a hospital bed in Spokane.
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Lorne Reiter

When a car slammed into a vehicle Carol Enns was riding in near Colville, Wash., the shock of the collision was heard in Rossland.

A long-time Golden City resident, Enns had been travelling south with her niece, Amy Enns, on June 29 when an oncoming Toyota pick-up allegedly crossed the centre line and struck the 2006 Honda Civic the two women were driving in.

Both vehicles were totalled, and Carol and Amy were transported to Sacred Heart Medical in Spokane.

In the passenger seat at the time of the collision, Carol’s injuries were extensive: both knee caps blown out, both ankles shattered, both shoulders broken, a broken sternum, broken ribs, ruptured spleen, surgery on her liver and her hips were fractured.

But the hardest blow of all for the former ski patroler at Red Mountain—and an avid outdoorswoman—was the news she had been blinded by the crash.

Carol is now expected to spend the next four to six months in hospital in Spokane before she can be moved, and her family is rallying, with her partner driving every day from Rossland to visit. As well, Carol’s daughter moved back to Rossland to help out, quitting her job in the Okanagan.

The physical, mental and spiritual costs of the crash are inestimable, but the financial one is. Carol’s family needs financial support to keep travelling south to see her, to keep her battling, and the community is responding.

A bank account has been set up in trust at the Nelson and District Credit Union in her name for donations, and several fundraisers have been planned to raise money for her, the first of which is a musical gathering Aug. 15 (tentatively) at the Eagles Hall.

Eagles chair of trustees, Lorne Reiter, realized there was no way a fundraiser could come anywhere close to meeting Carol’s medical needs—that will more than likely be paid through litigation—so the community group looked to her family.

“So what we are doing is trying to raise funds for the immediate family’s needs in order to keep Carol’s support network flowing back and forth across the border and giving her strength,” he said.

“The more we can raise the easier it will be and the more stress we can take off of her.”

Carol was very giving to the community, Reiter said, and now the community can give back. And response has been growing, he noted, and quick.

As Reiter and Eagles events co-ordinator Janet Capozzolo were hanging posters Tuesday to publicize Carol’s plight and the ongoing fundraising campaign, many people expressed shock of the turn of events for the long-time Rosslander.

“This impacts the whole community because it sure has had an effect on a lot of people finding out about her,” said Capozzolo. “This is what the Eagles are here to do, we give to charity and whatever we can do to help local people.”

The driver of the pick-up, Marcus, Wash., resident Michael D. Neisler, 51, was also transported to hospital. Police have admitted they believe alcohol was a factor in the incident and are treating the collision as a vehicular assault and a driving under the influence matter.

editor@rosslandnews.com

Fly like an eagle

How to contribute:

• People can contribute by cash donation in one of the many jars bearing Carol’s name, displayed at businesses throughout Rossland and Trail.

• People can contribute directly to the Carol Enns trust account at the Nelson and District Credit Union in Rossland (account number 40027763).

• People can contribute by cheque to “Carol Enns in Trust,” by mail to P.O. box 1474, Rossland, B.C., V0G1Y0.

People can attend the fundraiser for Carol Enns at the Eagles club in Rossland on Aug. 15 (tentative).