Road Rage Victim Still in Coma

[Danney Ball]

Road Rage Victim Still in Coma

June 23, 2005, 04:07 PM

Ashley Biggs

Jerome Miller

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By Bonnie Druker
24 Hour News 8

An eighteen-year-old woman was left in a vegetative state after police say a man ran down a group of teenagers with his car. The crash happened last summer, but one family is still feeling its effects.

It’s been a rough year for the family of Ashley Biggs. The car crash, which was the result of a fight over a baseball camp, left Ashley in a vegetative state. She's a teenager who once wanted to graduate high school and become a dental hygienist. She is a big sister to two younger girls.

Ashley’s mother says she was always smiling. “She was an outgoing person. She loved life. She lived life every day,” said Angela Snider, Ashley’s mother.

Life changed for Ashley and her family when police say 21-year-old Jerome Miller became angered when someone took his baseball cap. They say he then drove his car into a group of teenagers.

“Tempers flared and ultimately it played out into a car being run into a group of people,” said Detective Wayne Sharp.

Miller allegedly smashed into Ashley, hitting her in the head. She hasn’t regained consciousness since. “I had a very good bond with Ashley and I always will. I'm just waiting for her to open her eyes and say, Dad, I’m okay,’” said Mark Snider, Ashley’s father.

Ashley's family took her off a ventilator, but they keep her on a feeding tube and care for her at home. Her bedroom is now a makeshift hospital supply room. “It's the hardest thing any person in the world could ever go through,” said Mark. “The doctors told us she's going to go to sleep. We just don't know when. There's nothing else that can be done.”

Ashley was supposed to graduate from Ben Davis High School this year. The school gave her an honorary diploma that now hangs above her bed. Her car is parked in her driveway with her pink and white lei around the rearview mirror.

“I believe she will wake up. I still have to pray she will wake up. I can't lose hope because if I lose hope she will lose hope,” said Angela.

Ashley's care is very expensive for her family. There is a $2 million health insurance limit for Ashley, but her bills have already totaled $1.5 million.

You can help by making a donation at any Union Federal Bank, in the name of Ashley Biggs.

In the meantime, Jerome Miller's trial is set to begin Monday. The Sniders say they want Miller to spend the rest of his life in prison.