WELLINGTON, Fla - A mother trampled during the shooting at Palm Beach Central High School is still dealing with the physical and emotional toll from the trauma.
"It was traumatic, it was terrifying, literally terrifying," said Kimberly Briard, who is now home recovering after emergency surgery.
Nearly two weeks since the shots echoed through the football stadium, Briard is recounting the horror.
“It was just mayhem, I mean people were running everywhere,” she said. "My first thought when the shots were heard and people were scrambling, you just think there's a random shooter getting ready to shoot up the stands, that's what was going through my head."
Kimberly was in the stands with her husband watching their daughter cheer when someone opened fire outside the gate. Two men were hit. When she saw the panic in her daughter's face she ran, but fell to the ground and was trampled during the chaos.
"It was crazy, I mean there were shoes everywhere, personal belongings and screaming crying kids," she said.
As she was being stepped on, at that moment, Kimberly says thought she was going to die. She ended up breaking her femur, was rushed to the hospital, and three days later underwent hip replacement surgery. She ended up staying longer in the hospital because she needed a blood transfusion.
Today, she is back home using a walker and will begin at-home physical therapy on Friday.
"I hope you recover soon and fast," said Kimberly, as she read aloud one of the many cards that cover her furniture.
She has been showered with support from the community. She has received cards from students, flowers from friends and family and meals from complete strangers.
Just a few days before the shooting, Kimberly found out she has to have surgery to remove a mass on her back. That surgery has now been delayed as she recovers. She still has a long road ahead of her, but she remains positive.
"I'm feeling good, I'm taking it one day at a time," Briard said.
The trauma has taken a toll on her family, often reliving the frantic moments, but one of her concerns is for the kids. She says she does not want the shooting to overcome the students and young athletes, she wants them to overcome it.
"I hope the team and the cheerleaders can pull together and not allow that first game to stop them from having victories and moving forward," Briard said.
If you would like to help pay for Briard's medical bills, visit her GoFund me page.
