The Auckland woman whose car was totalled when an alleged drunk driver smashed into the back of her station wagon has been gifted a car.
Barbara Hansen-Galyer lost her leg to bone cancer as a teen and told the Herald last month about how losing her car had jeopardised her independence.
She had relied on the trustworthy station wagon for nearly two decades and said it had never broken down.
Barbara Hansen-Galyer was driving through Flat Bush when her car was rear-ended. Photo / supplied
On July 6, Hansen-Galyer was at the intersection on Murphys Rd and Ormiston Rd, in Flat Bush, when she saw a car hurtling towards her in the rear-view mirror.
She told the Herald that the car had smashed into the back of her station wagon in a "horrendous impact" that crumpled its rear-end.
Hansen-Galyer got out of the car and rang 111 - the operator asked her how the other driver was but it was impossible to check as he had driven away from the scene.
In the weeks that followed the crash Hansen-Galyer found it depressing to be without her go-to means of transport and said she hated seeing her smashed-up car sitting in the driveway.
Today, a newly opened Pearce Brothers dealership in Grey Lynn gifted Hansen-Galyer a car.
Hansen-Galyer said she was overwhelmed by the kind gesture and when she was driving away in her new ride she could not stop thinking about how she needed to give something back as well.
"I was just blown away. I've never even won anything in my life, let alone be given something like that."
Pearce Brothers sales and finance manager Mathew Hawken and Barbara Hansen-Galyer in front of the Honda Odyssey. Photo / Brett Phibbs
The car was brilliant and was really lovely to drive, she said.
Pearce Brothers Grey Lynn sales and finance manager Mathew Hawken said the company was big on giving back to the community.
"It was something that we had seen in the Herald and we talked about amongst ourselves as a group," he said.
"We wanted to help a lady who obviously hasn't had everything easy throughout life."
They had felt the Honda Odyssey was a good choice because it was a "really nice family car".
In addition to the car, Pearce Brothers had gifted her a year of comprehensive car insurance to make sure there were no outstanding bills on it for the next year, Hawken said.
Autosure had also gifted her a year of mechanical insurance with roadside assistance, he said.
- NZ Herald