Tech students stop to help Ruston woman after accident

The holidays are a time for all types of Christmas miracles. Barbara Kirkland just didn’t expect to find one of hers at a Trenton Street intersection in downtown Ruston.

Kirkland was out working on her Christmas shopping. With her eye on Park Haus, the 77-year-old began hurrying to gather her purse, keys, phone and everything else so she could get out of her vehicle. The next thing she knew, she had hit the pavement on Mississippi Avenue, just about 20 feet from the intersection.

“My foot hit the bottom of the curb, then I fell forward and hit my head on the sidewalk,” Kirkland said. “I tried to get up but my forehead above my left eye was bleeding profusely. And there was no one in sight.”

Then a car passed and quickly parked down the street. As fate would have it, two nursing students from Louisiana Tech University were inside. They spotted Kirkland.

“I had no idea what to do until I saw them coming toward me,” Kirkland said.

Ella Scroggs and Sarah Stringfellow were on their way back from the Ruston Farmers Market where they too had been engaged in Christmas shopping. With Stringfellow driving, Scroggs saw Kirkland on the side of the road with blood on her shirt.

“She was waving for help,” Scroggs recalled. “ So, Sarah immediately pulled over and we both hurried to get out of the car then started running toward her.”

Scroggs said the minute they saw Kirkland, they knew they must stop and help. There was no hesitation.

“I thought to myself that she was somebody’s mother and grandmother, and I knew that I would want somebody to help my grandparents as well,” Scroggs said. “My grandparents are very important to me, and I am so thankful for all the time I get to spend with them and the laughs I have shared with them. I knew that somebody felt the same way about Mrs. Kirkland.”

Kirkland said the girls were wonderful with her. When they reached her, they found her to be shaken and worried over the wound on her head. Stringfellow ran back to the car for napkins in order to apply compressions to the forehead and stop the bleeding. They then helped her sit up and call her husband Neil, who thankfully fully was just a few minutes away. He then took her on to the emergency room, where it was determined there was no serious injury.

“I do have a very colorful black eye,” Kirkland said with a laugh. “But I hope it will be gone by Christmas.”

Scroggs said she had a lot of fun talking with Kirkland about her family and her Christmas plans while waiting for her husband to arrive. For her, it was clear they have a wonderful family that loves them both very much. It was something the Kirklands wanted to share with the girls to express their gratitude for their kindness.

“We had them over to the house, and I cooked for them,” Kirkland said. “I just wanted to get to know them better and show my appreciation.”

In thinking back over the events, Scroggs expressed joy that Kirkland will be OK. Thankful she and Stringfellow had the opportunity to help in her time of need, she also said the situation inspired her to help others in the same way.

In fact, it’s something she urges others to consider if the opportunity should arise.

“If I had to say anything to other people who might find themselves in a position to help a stranger, I would say to them that every person you meet has someone out there that loves them just as you are loved,” she said.

For Kirkland, her Christmas miracle inspired not only a sense of profound gratitude, but practical advice for others out and about these days.

“Take your time and pay attention to where you are going, especially at my age,” she said.