Plumber Injured In Deadly Accident Speaks

A plumber hit by a car in February is talking for the first time about his recovery, and how the accident changed his life.

?We?re used to a certain way of life,? said Baker. ?And then, in an instant, it’s gone.?

Ken Baker?s legs were shattered when an SUV, driven by Michael Benton, hit a parked car. The parked car smashed into Baker and his co-worker, who were unloading material from a van.

?I tried to stand up and I couldn’t,? said Baker. ?I honestly thought that my legs were gone.?

Baker?s co-worker was killed.

Baker hasn?t walked since. Now his medical bills are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Despite that, he said he is just grateful to be alive.

?That was all we were thankful for,? said Lynette Kraft.

Baker and Kraft have been together for 19 years.

?He’s my life,? said Kraft, through tears. ?He’s my world.?

?Everybody?s had to change their lives to work around me,? said Baker.

He said the tragedy has changed the way he sees the world.

?I have a lot of respect for handicapped people,? said Baker. ?Because you never really realize what they’re in until you’re there yourself. And it’s hard.?

?Even though we’ve still got a long journey to go through, we’ve got all sorts of love and support to get him through it,? said Kraft.

Ken doesn?t have medical insurance and is dealing with mounting medical bills, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars to date.

Sunday, Murray Street Darts, a Colorado Springs bar, held a fundraiser for Baker, to help pay for some of his medical costs. Murray Street Darts will continue to accept donations for Ken, as the bills continue accumulate.

Additional surgery may be required. Baker said his surgeon is hopeful that he will walk again soon.