Dangerous, unsecured loads will now be illegal on Alaska roads, thanks to this Anchorage woman

An Anchorage woman is receiving justice after a horrific accident in February of 2015, and it comes in the form of new legislation.

Kelly Roy nearly died from being struck by a trash can from an unsecured load while driving into Anchorage on the Glenn Highway. Her experience prompted lawmakers to pass an amendment making failure to properly contain a load a criminal act.

Roy recalled to Channel 2 the events leading up to the accident.

"There was this car in front of me that had suddenly radically swerved,” Roy said. “It was too late for me to realize why."

Roy remembers seeing debris flying through the air at highway speeds, when what she describes as a 'giant trash can' struck her window.

"The last thing I remember is a loud boom, and my car rolled four times," Roy said.

Everything after that, Roy says, is a blur. She woke up in the ICU with broken bones and severe brain hemorrhaging.

"And they weren't sure if I was going to live," Roy said.

But Roy had other plans. She recovered from the brain injury and spent years in rehab. She remembers countless brain monitoring tests, and doing extensive occupational and physical therapy. The day she graduated therapy, she says she celebrated by going down a slide she had her eye on for two years.

Roy says the driver of the truck with the unsecured load never stopped to render aid. She says had the person stopped, they would have only received a $300 littering fee. Believing her life to be worth more than that, and wanting to keep others on the road out of harm’s way, she began working with lawmakers in Juneau for criminal penalties for unsecured loads.

"I went to Juneau many times to speak in front of committees, and tell them my story, and implore them that it was important to pass this," Roy said.

But before anything passed, another tragedy happened, this time on the Sterling Highway in late July.

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by a rock that fell off the back of a truck and smashed through the front window. That accident further proved the immediate nature of Roy's legislation.

Now, it looks as though Roy is going to get her wish. The senate has approved an amendment to SB 199, which renders failure to contain or confine a load a criminal act.

"But of all this, I felt like I never got justice for that day. Justice for what happened to me,” Roy said. “And this bill gives a lot of that back to me. Knowing that the law is going to be stiffer, and people are going to be held responsible."

Roy's amendment was passed in the last legislative session, and is being signed into law by Gov. Walker in Fairbanks on Monday. She said she plans to attend the signing ceremony.

* Editor's note: A previous version of this story stated Kelly Roy underwent traumatic brain surgery. She was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, but did not undergo surgery.