60°
The 27-year-old Prince William County Schools special education teacher was putting air in her tires Saturday, April 29 at an Exxon station on Prince William Parkway, and didn't realize her vehicle wasn't in park.
Kicker jumped in front of her car — she needed it. Otherwise, how would she get to school and see her kids?
But the vehicle overpowered Kicker, who is now recovering at Fairfax Hospital with multiple broken ribs, a broken pelvis, broken shoulder blade, knee.
"After the first tire ran me over, I thought I was gone for good," Kicker tells Daily Voice. "I heard the cracks of my bones and knew I was broken. The second tire ran me over and I just laid there in disbelief."
She screamed as loud as she could until help came.
Kicker's plan unfortunately backfired, as now she's without a car and likely won't be able to teach until next year.
To make matters worse, her car has been deemed a total loss and the accident will not be covered by insurance, according to a GoFundMe campaign that had raised $5,300 for her as of Thursday, May 4.
Kicker says the support has been nothing short of overwhelming.
"I’m beyond blessed," said Kicker, who works at Freedom High School in Woodbridge but previously worked in Loudoun County. "There are no words to explain the gratitude I feel towards all the help and love I’ve received."
A vegan, Kicker is even receiving specially-prepared meals from family, new neighbors and friends.
Her colleagues have been visiting her in the hospital and she's been receiving an influx of flowers.
"Having the total support of your job, especially as a teacher today, feels alien to a lot of educators," Kicker said. "Freedom has definitely shown their staff that they are. We are a family there.”
Kicker says it's not luck that allowed her to live.
"I now know that God put on this earth for a reason," she said. "There is a reason I am alive; people need me. I'm going to come back even stronger."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Alexandria and receive free news updates.
