Car crash victim still in critical condition
By EMILY HUNKLER, Enterprise Staff WriterArticle Photos
SARANAC LAKE - Patricia Smith, 61, of Keene Valley, remains in critical condition this morning at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt., six days after a head-on collision on state Route 3 last Tuesday.
Smith was airlifted to Fletcher Allen from Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake after suffering internal head bleeding, collapsed lungs and a broken neck, pelvis, ankle and wrist.
Smith, driving west from Tupper Lake, ran into a car driven by John Cooper, 45, of Hampshire, England, when he swerved into her lane of traffic to avoid rear-ending a vehicle that was waiting to turn left into the state boat launch at Second Pond. Cooper suffered a broken ankle.
Smith is a staff development director at the Adirondack Medical Center's Mercy and Uihlein nursing homes. She is a mother of three, has eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Contact Emily Hunkler at 891-2600 ext. 24 or ehunkler@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.
