Train Crash Victim Gives Back To Help Students Facing Challenges
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (CBS4) - Almost 16 years after a train crashed into her car, Missy Martin is giving back to high school students in Douglas County.
She won a lawsuit against Union Pacific Railroad after a train slammed into her vehicle in Castle Rock in 2002. She was in a coma for five weeks.
She said her dream was to be a nurse and help people. Now, Martin is helping the younger generation with the scholarship fund she set up to help high school students in Douglas County.
The crash had a lasting impact on the community of Castle Rock. Now Martin is turning her past into something more positive for the future.
This year her foundation awarded eight students from Douglas County Schools $1,000 to use toward their future.
Among those honored on Wednesday are students with rare medical conditions, students working to support their families and students who recently lost family members.
Through their adversity, the students continued to excel and stay active in the community. One school administrator said that life has taken so much from them, their first instinct is to give back.
Martin earned her college degree, she's married and has two daughters of her own. She says she didn't get to where she is today all by herself and now it's her turn to help others.
"All I wanted to do was be a nurse so I could help people. That didn't go very far. So my dad and I came up with this. Over the years it just keeps growing and growing and I love it," said Martin.
"With all our medical bills and my dad not having a job right now, it's hard to get all the college books and room and everything. it'll really help out with the fees and tuition," said scholarship recipient and Ponderosa High School student Tayla Wilson.
Tayla's mother recently passed away and her father is between jobs, so she picked up a part-time job during her senior year to help out the family. She's planning on attending Colorado State University.
Since Martin created her foundation, she has awarded more than $50,000 in scholarships to students like Tayla.
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