NANTICOKE -- A community gathered to help a man from Luzerne County who was hit by an SUV six months ago while working as a traffic flagger.
At the time, Mark Smith was flown to the hospital and spent the next several days in intensive care.
"It's a total life change," said Smith, who is now in a wheelchair and has a prosthetic leg. "I've seen a lot of bad things happen in a few short months, and I've seen great things happen. This [benefit] is one of the great things."
Inside Nanticoke Quoit Club, it was a sea of yellow supporters at a fundraiser for Smith.
"Yellow is meant to be seen," said wife Erica Smith. "These guys are meant to be seen. These women are meant to be seen. It's somebody's family out there. I almost lost mine."
Money from the fundraiser will go towards helping pay for a new specialized wheelchair for Mark, on top of helping offset the nearly million dollars in medical bills.
Among those in the crowd were Paul Scull and Clifford Mock. Both are construction workers who were there the day everything changed.
"It always sticks with you in your mind," said Mock. "It could happen at any time."
"It's nice to show him that we care and we're all here behind him and here to help him out if he needs it," Scull added.
Mark Smith hopes to one day walk on his own again.
"I'm just hoping to get back to driving and doing the normal run of the mill things," he added.
"His will is so strong," Erica Smith said. "He wants to walk and he wants to have a good life and I'm going to be right there with him."
Ethan Schumacher, the man police believe is responsible for the crash, is charged with DUI and a slew of other crimes. He's awaiting a preliminary hearing.
But the Smith family says they're not thinking about Schumacher. Both Erica and Mark Smith are more looking forward to the day Mark can walk on his own again.
