Nearly three months after being pinned down under a truck that plowed into a truck, a woman is telling her story for the first time.
Sara Polanco remembers the screams for help, including her own. Nearly three months after she was pinned underneath a truck that plowed into a crowd, she is speaking out for the first time to explain why she believes the driver isn't the only one at fault.
A driver slammed into Polanco, breaking eight ribs and shattering her pelvis, requiring a stay in the Intensive Care Unit. She blames the driver, but also two other drivers who she believes caused the crash.
The 21-year-old hopes to walk again, but for now, she can barely stand.
"I want my life back," Polonca said. "I’m just not used to sitting still."
On Feb. 10, after a fun night with friends, Polanco was waiting for a ride on a crowded sidewalk in downtown Fullerton when, police say, a DUI driver named Christopher Solis slammed into the crowd.
Polanco was pinned underneath the red truck as friends and strangers desperately attempted to help.
"I just wasn't sure if I was paralyzed or not," Polanco says. "I begged my mom, 'Can you please tell me? I cannot feel my legs.'"
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Now, Polanco is suing the driver, Solis, but also ride-share operator Lyft and two of its drivers for contributing to the crash.
On that fateful night, Solis turned onto Santa Fe Avenue, the lawsuit alleges, in front of Heroes Bar, where the Lyft drivers were illegally parked. A sign across the street from where the crash occurred identifies the designated ride-share waiting area, which Polanco's lawyers say those two Lyft drivers ignored.
"You're supposed to pull over to the curb and safely pick up people, and you're not supposed to be looking at your phone for directions when you're driving," attorney Annee Della Donna says.
Lyft did not respond to NBC4's request for comment, but on its website, the company says, "It is committed to driver safety."
Polanco says her medical bills are now nearly $1 million and growing.
"I like to hike, I like to go to the gym, go out with my friends, family" Polanco says. "Inside, I just really wanted to all back."
