Woman remembers near deadly crash on Avenue 12 in Madera County

Maria Balch remembered the grim day in 2018 when she was in a car crash just a minute away from her home.

"As I was stopped, I got rear-ended, pushed into oncoming traffic, and I was hit by a 350-utility truck. Head on, spun around facing the other way and ended up being in my car while it was on fire," said Balch.

People who saw the crash and stopped helped Balch get out of her vehicle. Within seconds, her car was up in flames.

These photos show what her vehicle looked like after the fire was put out.

Every day she wakes up, she's reminded of the crash by the scars that are left on her body.

"I have a steel plate with 12 screws in my right arm, and I had reconstructive surgery on my left side. I still go to a neurologist for headaches, migraines, and it's gonna be lifelong," said Balch.

On August 30th, Brittany Robbins didn't make it home after driving on Avenue 12 near Highway 41.

She died early that morning on Avenue 12 in a crash with a big rig.

Balch said that since her crash six years ago, she's made it her life's mission to create change on Avenue 12.

"I have to think of it as it was one second of one minute of 1 hour of one day, and I can't let that one second of one minute and one hour one day affect everything going forward, so God put me here for a reason," said Balch.

There will be a vigil held on Sunday night to remember Brittany Robbins and others who lost their lives on Avenue 12.

That gathering will begin at 7 p.m.

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