Hillyard rallies around its own

Rob Cartwright remembers hearing the tires squeal. Seconds later he was on the ground with a car on top of him.

He and his wife, Jamie, were riding his ’71 Harley-Davidson FX on Market Street to meet some friends. They’d just passed the skate park when a 17-year-old driver, talking on her cell phone, made a left turn and literally ran them over.

The March 24 accident has left the couple battered, scarred and struggling to recover from physical, emotional and financial devastation.

The couple’s injuries were numerous. Rob Cartwright broke three bones in his neck and nearly lost his foot. He spent eight days in the intensive care unit and several weeks in the hospital. Jamie Cartwright landed on her face and lost most of her teeth as well as severely injuring her knee.

Friends rallied to help the couple.

“People were there at the hospital every day,” Jamie Cartwright said. Well-wishers overflowed the room and spilled into the hallway. But for concerned friends Tina and Larry McNutt, hospital visits were not enough.

Larry McNutt said he’s Rob Cartwright’s best friend.

“We rode a lot of miles together,” he said. “We’re motorcycle enthusiasts.” He laughed. “Well the truth is, actually we’re a couple of scooter tramps.”

They knew the Cartwrights wouldn’t be able to work for some time. The McNutts began talking about a fundraiser to folks at the Alaskan, their favorite watering hole. Word quickly spread and soon, according to Larry McNutt, “a Who’s Who of Hillyard” pitched in to help.

“We just wanted to keep their lights on, their mortgage paid and their heads above water,” he said.

The community responded with garage sales, bake sales and raffle baskets, all culminating in a day-long event on July 12.

“It’s Hillyard,” Tina McNutt said. “When something bad happens to one of our own, we respond.”

Indeed, the response was overwhelming. The day began with a motorcycle poker run. Participating riders paid a $10 entrance fee and then traveled to five locations throughout the morning, collecting a playing card at each stop. The starting location was Ma Barker’s Cafe on Market Street. Members of the Soul Patrol motorcycle ministry opened the event with prayer. The restaurant donated the proceeds of the morning’s sales to the Cartwrights.

It was an emotional day for Jamie Cartwright. “I was so scared to get back on a motorcycle, but at the poker run I got on a bike for the first time,” she said. Terrified but determined, she rode with the group and showed the indomitable spirit that inspired the community.

“It was real hard,” she said. “But I wanted to do it with everybody.”

“All kinds of bike clubs showed up for the poker run,” Larry McNutt said. The final stop was the Alaskan, where the participants received the last card. The pot was split down the middle with half the money going to the winner and half going to the Cartwrights.

Then the party started in earnest with local band Hung Phat providing music, along with two other bands. Longhorn Barbecue donated food for the feast, and Hillyard civic leader Paul Hamilton showed off his barbecue skills.

“I cooked up 150 pounds of ribs on my uncle’s commercial barbecue,” he said, stressing that he was proud to be “a small part of a very big effort.”

“Rob and Jamie are friends,” Hamilton said.

The accident occurred only two blocks from Hamilton’s insurance agency. “Hillyard is a little town in the big town. We’re still operating like a small community,” Hamilton said. He wasn’t surprised by the outpouring of affection and support for the Cartwrights. “They are good-hearted, hardworking people,” he said. “People respond to that.”

The event culminated in a live auction. Tina McNutt said many people from Hillyard had chipped in and gone to work, gathering donations from area businesses. Bike shops donated helmets, chaps and leather goods. Baskets of goodies were raffled off. And professional auctioneers donated their services.

Thoughtful planning and generous giving resulted in thousands of dollars being raised for the couple.

“They worked very hard and went out of their way for us,” Rob Cartwright said. “It’s amazing and very uplifting.” And the generosity wasn’t confined to one night or one place. Coeur d’Alene dentist Ben Gates heard about Jamie Cartwright’s dental injuries and offered his services free of charge.

Her facial injuries were a source of more than just physical pain. “All her teeth went through her front lip,” Tina McNutt said. Jamie describes the wound as being a gaping hole. That wound prompted stares and rude remarks when the couple went out. Rob Cartwright’s voice shook when he recalled Jamie coming home in tears one night “ ’cause kids had called her a retard.” Thanks to Gates, Jamie Cartwright has her smile back.

As the two slowly heal, they expressed gratitude to the individuals and the community that have rallied around them. “Thank you just doesn’t cut it. It’s not enough,” Jamie said.

And yet with all the love and support they’ve received, the Cartwrights are still lacking something important. They’ve never received any acknowledgement or apology from the young driver who hit them. Jamie Cartwright sighed and said, “It would go a long way.”