CLIVE, Iowa — If you've ever visited the Caribou Coffee on University Avenue in Clive, you might recognize Heather Williams.
As a manager at Caribou, Heather is known as someone who can always put smile on other's faces. Kaylee Parkins, assistant general manager at Caribou, described Heather as "spunky, loud and just very generous".
But now, Heather's loved ones are asking the community for help: Heather suffered severe injuries when she was hit by a semi-truck while on vacation in Utah.
Heather was traveling with her dad and her husband, Tyrone, when the family stopped to help people who were involved in a car accident.
When they were standing on the side of the road, a semi-truck drove right into the crash scene, hitting Heather and her dad.
“He and Heather went to the car and I went over to check on someone sitting on the shoulder," Tyrone said. "I didn’t even get to him before somebody yelled 'Oh crap,' and [I] looked up and there is a semi literally barreling down on us."
Heather and her father were air-lifted to hospitals in Salt Lake City. While both of them are expected to recover, Heather in particular has a long road ahead of her, including major facial reconstruction surgery.
Despite her injuries, Heather has maintained her "glass half-full" mentality. Unable to talk, Heather communicates through her whiteboard, sending positive messages.
"Just be joy filled always, and moments like these are just a moment," is one message Heather wrote on her whiteboard when speaking with Local 5.
Back in Iowa, Heather's co-workers and loved ones are sharing more about Heather's character.
"She would leave smiles on everyone's faces," Parkins said. "Yes, even through the drive-thru. Like, they are laughing through the drive-thru just by communicating through words."
When asked how people can show their support to Heather and her family, her one response was "by helping others" – something Heather does on the daily.
"You know, what happened to her was because she was trying to help others," said Cassidy Peiffer, a training general manager at Caribou. "That is just the human that she is and she has even stated that she would do this again."
Ultimately, this tragedy is continuing to show the impact Heather has on others in her community.
"She is like, insanely important to this place," Peiffer said. "Every single day we get questions of 'How's Heather, do you have an update on Heather?'"
Heather's family has also set up a GoFundMe page for those looking to offer their support.