People’s lives are altered in the blink of an eye, a single heartbeat, or in one flashing moment of distraction.

Two Fountain Hills residents discovered the speed with which life can be altered on Sunday, April 27.

While returning from a trip to Flagstaff, during that one proverbial moment of distraction, Scotty Cain’s car went out of control and veered off the road into a stand of trees.

He and his passenger, Lynn Kozlowski, were critically injured.

Scotty was air lifted to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix.

Lynn was air lifted to Flagstaff Hospital.

The dust hasn’t settled yet and, even as they work through the pain and confusion, the Fountain Hills residents are already aware they are facing major hurdles in their lives.

Lynn, bartender at Overtime Sports Grille and at Tap House, both in Fountain Hills, who has already undergone several surgeries already and faces more, must be stabilized before the doctors will even begin to talk about her being transported down from Flagstaff some time in the future.

Scotty, who works at Tap House, thankfully has some family in the Fountain Hills area.

One of Lynn’s sisters lives in Mesa. Her other sister and her brother and parents live in Chicago.

Lynn and Scotty have a big circle of close friends who plan to do whatever they can to help. But the distance to Flagstaff is still a factor, and they hope Lynn will be allowed to return as soon as possible.

Rallying after the news of the accident, some of these friends wanted to help them out with medical bills that are already accumulating, and to tide them over until they are able to return to work.

Speaking for these friends, Doreen Meyer says, “At least Scotty is close by. But for starters for Lynn -- first she has to be stabilized before she can be moved. But the insurance may not cover her transport to come back here. The medical expenses alone are going to be awful for them. And it’s going to be a long time before they will work again.”

Scotty was discharged from the hospital this past Friday, but Lynn still awaits word from her doctors that she can be moved. At press time, further information was unavailable.

Their caring friends have opened individual accounts, in the names of Lynn Kozlowski and Scotty Cain, at Community Bank, 12625 N. Saguaro Blvd., Ste. 106, Fountain Hills, to help with their expenses.

To contribute to the funds to help Lynn or Scotty, tell anyone at the bank to which fund you wish to contribute, and it will be arranged.

Fundraisers are also being organized for the near future.

“They have a long way to go,” Meyer says.