Jogger in recovery after being struck by car

By Jon Johnson

jon@gilavalleycentral.net

GRAHAM COUNTY – A jogger is recovering from injuries sustained Nov. 9 when she was struck by a car on Safford/Bryce Road.

First responders were dispatched to the scene at about 6:10 p.m. regarding a motor vehicle collision with injury. 

Candace Lynn Roach, 35, suffered a broken left shoulder and a large laceration to her forehead after being struck by a 1998 Saturn Coupe, driven by her neighbor, Kerrie Lynn Mendel, 56.

According to statements given to a Graham County Sheriff’s Office deputy, Roach was jogging alongside the road with her dog when the dog ran into the road. Roach said she could hear a car coming, so she attempted to retrieve her dog to avoid it being hit.

Mendel said she had just driven around a corner and through Watson Wash when she saw a woman and a dog in her lane of travel. She said she immediately braked and swerved off the road but still struck the woman.

After the collision, Mendel pulled off the roadway and went to administer first-aid to Roach, who was lying motionless in the road. At that time she noticed Roach as her neighbor and pulled her out of the roadway out of fear another vehicle would come and strike her again.

The deputy also spoke to Roach’s husband, Luke Roach, who said he heard tires squealing and a lard crash. He then exited his residence and saw his wife lying in the road. 

Candace Roach was transported by paramedics with Lifeline Ambulance to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center, where she was treated for her injuries and released. She is expected to make a full recovery.

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