Survivor of Chester County car crash speaks out about firefighter, boyfriend who died

UWCHLAN TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- For Emily Gindele's family, October 20, 2023, is a day they will never forget.

But for Emily, it's a day that she struggles to remember.

On that night, Emily and her boyfriend were in a car crash in Uwchlan Township, and her boyfriend did not survive.

Her only recollection of the night was being in a restaurant with her boyfriend, Colin Reedy, and then getting a call from the West Whiteland Fire Company.

They both volunteered as firefighters at the company.

"We got a fire call. So, we left McGurk's restaurant. We left our credit card behind. We hadn't even gotten our food yet and we got in the car and that's the last bit that I remember," Emily told Action News.

Colin lost control of his vehicle on his way to the call and crashed.

A short time later, Emily's father received the call that every parent fears the most.

Mark Gindele recalls hearing the person on the phone saying, "'Colin has already been determined to have died, and they are taking Emily out in an ambulance.'"

Emily survived, but she was broken.

READ | Family, friends celebrate life of young firefighter who died in Chester County car crash

Family, friends celebrate life of young firefighter who died in Chester County car crash

Her back, skull, and ribs were fractured. Her spleen was lacerated and removed.

Part of her pancreas needed to be removed as well.

"Later we found out from Dr. Rittenhouse that she was about 10 minutes away from dying. So, that's how close it was," said Mark.

Then, after days of surgeries and procedures, the 24-year-old woke up. Her parents dreaded telling her that Colin didn't make it.

But when they did, Emily told her family that she already knew. She says she had spoken to Colin about it.

"I had a lot of strange dreams," she said about being in the hospital. "I don't remember talking to Colin, but I sort of remember talking and seeing Colin in a lot of those dreams. He was there with me."

Now, the long road to recovery goes into a new phase.

Even as she awaits more surgeries, her strength and appetite are returning slowly but surely.

But recovery from losing Colin is a different story. She plans to, hopefully, fully recover and live out the legacy that Colin devoted his life to.

"(I plan to) keep giving back to my community, keep volunteering at the firehouse. Just giving back because there are a lot of worse situations than the one I was in and I just want to be able to help people during these tough times that they have," Emily said.