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But that didn't help her on Sept. 5, when two people speeding through the streets of Lynn in a stolen car, police said, literally turned her life upside down when they ran the red light at the intersection of Chestnut and Essex Streets and T-boned her SUV.
Now, the family and friends of the 42-year-old Malden woman are attempting to put back to right what was undone that morning. They've started a GoFundMe to help pay for Fournier's medical bills and help provide for her and 10 and 13-year-old children.
"Between the medical bills, her car being totaled, her inability to work for some time due to the recovery period, and the nature of her jobs, Amber is in desperate need of any financial help that she can receive to cover rent, food, other bills, and the needs of her two daughters," the fundraiser said.
The campaign had raised just over $20,000 of its $50,000 goal as of Thursday morning.
Video of the crash captured on surveillance camera shows the wreck in all of its horrible detail. Fournier's white Honda SUV was crossing the intersection when a Nissan Rogue blew through a red light at a high rate of speed and broadsided her vehicle. Fournier's car flips, tumbles, and spins on its head until it skids to a stop against a parked car.
But what the video doesn't show is the chaos and trauma playing out inside Fournier's vehicle. The GoFundMe details that.
Fournier was knocked unconscious. Her femur was shattered and the bone was sticking out of her skin. Bystanders rushed over to help as best they could until paramedics arrived, who — realizing the dire situation — airlifted her to Brigham & Women’s Hospital, where she underwent surgery to repair her leg and begin to mend the damage to the rest of her body.
While her body is bruised and broken, her friends and family say she remains the caring and kind woman they've always known who's kept her sense of humor through it all.
She is an extremely loving sister and daughter who would do anything for her family, an amazing friend, one of the funniest people you will meet, and so much more. She just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and is now paying (physically, emotionally, and financially) for the poor decision making and actions of the people responsible for this car accident.
Leanna Rockwood, 22, of Boston, and a minor from Haverhill were arrested allegedly after a brief foot chase following the case, Lynn police said. They face a slew of charges in the case, according to WCVB.
Click here for more information on the GoFundMe campaign.
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