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Mom thanks ’angels' who stopped to help her family after a DUI crash

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DONELSON, Tenn. (WTVF) — A mom is grateful for the people she called ‘angels’ who rendered aid to her family after a car crash in Donelson.

On Saturday evening, Darcy Perry and her teenage daughters were in a wreck. They were going to the grocery after getting back from vacation. Perry said, “So Scary.”

Some strangers in the Donelson Pike area stopped to help. "And they just were like angels out of the sky that just showed up at a time where I needed them," said Perry.

Perry and her 13-year-old were rushed to the hospital, while Good Samaritans helped her 16-year-old daughter take photos of the scene.

"One of the commandments is love thy neighbor, and sometimes I have a tendency to lose compassion in the human race because you see so many awful things,” Perry said. “And to be there in that moment, I’m grateful it was our family and not someone with young children or an elderly person who wouldn’t be able to recover as we can, they all just were there, and I feel like they were all put there for a reason."

The driver identified as Debra Kelley was arrested for DUI, driving on a suspended license, and having an open container according to court records.

Debra Kelley
Debra Kelley was arrested for DUI, driving on a suspended license, and having an open container in Nashville, Tennessee.

Perry said, "My husband’s a veteran. He survived three tours in Iraq, and here I am where his whole family could almost be obliterated by a drunk driver? That’s not fair." Unfortunately, four years ago her husband was in a crash involving a drunk driver.

However, instead of focusing on the bad, she's trying to focus on the good. The 13-year-old has a concussion and other injuries, but fortunately, they will all be okay.

"I try to keep reminding myself that there are beautiful people in the world who will jump to help in a moment’s notice when you need them. and I just encourage you to always pay that forward. I’ll make sure that we do," Perry said.

Perry said the driver doesn't have insurance, so they're trying to figure everything out.