Help Holly Marcheck--motorcycle hit by DUI driver!

Holly suffered traumatic injuries when her motorcycle was rear-ended at a red light by a drug and alcohol impaired driver at high speed on April 16th, 2023. She was violently catapulted from her BMW R1200GS and was life-flighted to Pittsburgh with low expectations of survival. A police officer was among many eyewitnesses. State troopers reported that the car operator “showed no remorse nor emotion after explaining that the motorcyclist victim was seriously injured and may possibly die as a result of her reckless driving actions.” Link to News article regarding the crash.

Holly is an accomplished and skilled motorcycle rider of 37 years and a Pennsylvania state MSF instructor who always wears quality protective gear from head to toe (ATTGATT). She was riding to church at 9 am on a beautiful Sunday morning when she was suddenly robbed of both her physical health and life’s savings in one dreadful moment.

Holly woke up several days later in ICU fighting for her life. After 5 weeks of surgeries, she made it home from the hospital to care for her fur babies where necessity and her determined spirit found ways to manage activities of daily living alone while unable to work or drive. Fortunately, her pup was not riding with her at the time of impact.

Holly’s attorney stated there is no chance of ever getting a settlement. The criminal driver is in jail charged with felony DUI. Holly is facing years of additional surgeries, loss of income and financially catastrophic out-of-pocket medical bills, despite having her own motorist and medical insurances!

**** PLEASE READ HOLLY’S STORY IN HER OWN WORDS BELOW ****

Being self-employed, Holly has had no income since April. We have an opportunity to make a profound difference to help her focus on her recovery without the added stress of financial hardship. Let’s show her she’s not alone with love, prayers and support from our community when the unthinkable happens to one of us!

Holly has been a PA state motorcycle safety instructor for Total Control for the last five years, serves on her church music team, has been a Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor, worked with United Way, volunteered for decades at numerous BMW MOA and RA rallies, is a long-time member of Pittsburgh-based Four Winds BMW Riders serving on the board and winning annual mileage contests and is affiliated with the Christian Motorcyclists Assoc. Holly is a member of AICPA, PICPA, IIA professional organizations and is one of the most thoughtful, positive, hard-working, responsible individuals you’ll ever meet.

Your financial donations will provide hope that a band of brothers and sisters from every walk of life care enough to help her through this socially isolating and traumatic time while her future capabilities remain uncertain. We can’t repair her body, but together we can alleviate some of the financial devastation.

We encourage you to leave words of encouragement that will serve as a source of motivation and strength as she navigates this challenging journey.

1. Make a Donation: Your generous contributions, big or small, will have a significant impact. Every dollar donated will go directly to Holly’s medical and daily living expenses.

2. Please Share Holly’s Story: Use the power of social media, and word-of-mouth to share this need. By spreading awareness about her situation, we gather more support from our community and beyond.

If you prefer to avoid credit card processing fees so that 100% of your donation goes straight to Holly, checks and cards can be mailed directly to her at:

Holly Marcheck

P.O. Box 82

Whitney, PA 15693

A long road lies ahead, but Holly is a strong woman, who, with God’s help, will make the best of whatever tomorrow holds. We are thankful she is still with us!

With heartfelt gratitude,

Diane Pears and Friends

** HOLLY'S STORY IN HER OWN WORDS **

“Sunday April 16th 2023 was a nice spring morning as I put on my riding gear and readied to leave for church and a bike blessing. The last thing I remember was thinking, did I put my coffee mug in in the saddle bags? The next thing I can recall, it was several days later as I awoke to the shocking realization that I was in ICU and being told I was in very bad condition.

Later I found out that I had been halfway to my destination when I was rear ended at high speed at a red light by a woman who was so high on cocaine, THC, prescription pills and alcohol that she didn’t even know she hit me.

After enduring a 10 hour back surgery with 12 screws to put my thoracic vertebrae back together, a broken left leg and ankle and 3 torn ligaments in my left knee, I spent an excruciating week in ICU with a breathing tube and feeding tube because my vocal cords were paralyzed in the open position so that I couldn’t talk or swallow, even saliva, without it going straight into my lungs. I also suffered broken ribs, a punctured lung, torn ligaments in my right shoulder, a subdural hematoma with cranial nerve damage to #4, #5 which left me unable to move my right eye properly so that I am still seeing double. I lost my front 4 top teeth along with significant soft tissue damage. My diagnosis: poly trauma.

I went to ICU step-down for a week, then moved to a sister hospital for 3 weeks of healing where I learned to navigate solo with a wheelchair and walker. No one thought that I’d make it home, but that I would end up in a nursing home requiring a stomach feeding tube as I was still unable to swallow or manage activities of daily living alone. I worked hard and determined to do all in my power to find a way to get back home to care for my cat and dog.

When I left the hospital, I needed home nursing and therapy for my injuries, and I couldn’t drive.

I didn’t cry until I received discouraging news that I’d need several more surgeries to fix my shoulder, eyes, neck and possibly a knee replacement which means pain, loss of wages and mounting bills for years into the foreseeable future. Being completely helpless, living alone and unable to drive, I relied on friends who were good to me for everything from getting groceries to taking me to appointments with the 16 doctors listed on my discharge follow-up papers.

It was a gut punch when the attorney who was supposed to be handling any settlements informed me that I was screwed because the person who hit me had only the minimum state required coverage to take care of my injuries and that my policies were not set up properly to take care of medical bills that are now in excess of $100,000 and climbing fast. Even my health insurance company has put a lien on me for $100,000 and it will get larger! I have incurred testing costs in excess of $3,000 just for my shoulder and more tests to ready me for cervical spine surgery. My dental repair starts at $10,000, which is not covered by insurance. I’ve had to cut back physical therapy because it’s all out of pocket now. The emotional trauma has required me to start counseling with a therapist.

Being self-employed, I’ve had no income and not been able to work since April. Daily living expenses and medical bills are draining my savings. With all my health needs, it might be another year or more before I can even begin to seek new clients again.”