MILWAUKEE, Wis. — In an exclusive interview with TMJ4, Chloe Handrich and Samantha Zganjar, the two girls hit and seriously injured by a Milwaukee driver, tell their story for the very first time.
The Back Story
On July 20, Handrich and Zganjar were hit a driver in downtown Milwaukee at the intersection of Water Street and State Street.
Surveillance video shows a driver barreling through police barricades and hitting Handrich and Zganjar, throwing them both. They both sustained life-altering injuries.
The driver was cited for failing to yield and not having car insurance and revoked/suspended registration.
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman and Mayor Cavalier Johnson maintain this crash was an accident.
Watch: Water Street crash victims share their story after a driver ran through a barricade and hit them
Chloe and Sam's Story
It seems like just yesterday Handrich and Zganjar were tossing their caps at college graduation.
"I actually work at Froedtert as a CNA, and I've worked there for like five years and have a real passion for health care," Handrich said.
"I'm starting my graduate school psychology program in the fall at U-W Milwaukee and just started my full-time job," Zganjar added.
A milestone these two childhood best friends celebrated in July at Handrich's parents house. Their celebration continued downtown, in Milwaukee's entertainment district, on Water Street.
"We were all just having a great time, drinking, hanging out at the bar. Someone said they wanted George Webb's or something before we were gonna Uber back home, and that's the last thing I remember until I woke up in the ambulance," Zganjar explained.
Handrich and Zganjar were crossing Water Street, in the cross walk, behind a barricade Milwaukee Police said it meant to keep pedestrians safe.
As the girls are halfway across the street, the driver smashes into the barricade and hits them.
Neither of them remembers the moment of impact.
Chloe and Sam's Injuries
"I remember like just screaming, like so loud, because I was in so much pain. I just remember there was so much blood. No one let me look at myself for the longest time," Zganjar said.
Zganjar was thrown head first into a street sign.
"I had four fractures in my hand area that I just had surgery on last week. I had a fractured nose. These five front teeth are all gone. I had one lodged up into my. nasal cavity, really bad concussion. I had to get 12 stitches in the back of my head," Zganjar detailed.
Handrich was thrown 20 feet from where she was walking. She had seven blood transfusions and spent 15 days in the hospital.
"My pelvis was completely shattered, so that was the first surgery I had. My tibia was also shattered. I had a punctured lung, and I had a really severe injury to my liver," Handrich explained. I'm supposed to be a 22-year-old starting my life, and you know, now I'm completely dependent on my parents or people who are here to help take care of me," she said.
Reaction To The Crash
Handrich and Zganjar have life-altering injuries and are now forced to confront a crash that could have been prevented.
"I was just scared that like I did something wrong and caused this to happen, and yeah, finding out that like we were, you know, in a protected area and supposed to be safe, that was really hard to deal with," Handrich said.
"When I do think about it, like wrapping my head around the thought that we both could've maybe not been here, is very scary to me. But also there's times where I think about it and I get very angry that someone did this to us and just got in their car and drove away. There's no consequences. I feel like we need justice," Zganjar echoed.
According to the police report, the woman who hit the girls told police she didn't see or expect the barricades to be there. She was given three citations: failing to yield, driving without insurance, and driving on a revoked/suspended car registration.
The driver was not injured and was able to drive away after talking with police.
The Call For Accountability
"What's the point of having a police barricade if you can just plow through it and not get in trouble for it? Let alone, like almost killing two people," Zganjar said.
READ ALSO: Parents of injured pedestrians frustrated with mayor's response to Water Street crash
"All of the pain and suffering and everything that I had been through, and I felt like I was paying her consequences. She had no consequences and got to drive home literally after almost killing us," Handrich added. "My life is crumbling apart. It doesn't feel adequate to me."
In a city littered with reckless driving, police and city leaders remain adamant that this was an accident.
"I want him to maybe explain that to my face, of how this maybe isn't reckless driving, and what would make it reckless driving, cause plowing through a barricade and almost killing two people seems like reckless driving to me," Zganjar said.
"All of her behavior seems reckless to me. Driving without insurance? That all seems reckless and that you shouldn't be on the road," Handrich echoed.
How You Can Help
Handrich and Zganjar have been in and out of the hospital, endured multiple surgeries, and have a long road of recovery ahead.
To donate to Handrich and her family, click here. To donate to Zganjar and her family, click here.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
