By Anna Michael
The Cincinnati Enquirer

AMELIA - As Debra Black drove east on Ohio 125 near Amelia, a snowplow headed in the opposite direction dislodged a reflector embedded in the pavement.

The 4.5-pound reflector crashed through the windshield of her 1993 Mercury Topaz and hit her in the head, police said, causing her to veer off the road and hit a tree. She was alone in the car.

On Friday, the 42-year-old Amelia woman was in a drug-induced coma at University Hospital, her face shattered, fighting for her life.

"We are lucky to have her in critical condition right now - she should be gone," said Mark Rhizor, Black's boyfriend of 13 years.

Local and state officials say it's the first time they've ever heard of someone being injured by a reflector.

Joel Hunt of the Ohio Department of Transportation said loose reflectors sometimes cause property damage, but there have been only eight such incidents since 1999.

"Statistically speaking, it is very uncommon," Hunt said.

The accident left the driver of the snowplow, Charles Current, 42, of Georgetown, Ohio, shaken. He was taken to Clermont Mercy Hospital as a precaution.

Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Paul Hermes said it's unlikely charges will be filed.

"It looks like it was a defect in the reflector being planted in the roadway," Hermes said.

Black, a mother of four, works as a home cleaner.

"They are going to have to reconstruct her face," Rhizor said. "The rest of her body is OK. Apparently the brain scan is 100 percent - we are supposed to get her back in six months to a year."

He is staying by Black's bed, although he said she would be kept in a coma for two more days.

"I'm thanking God right now," he said. "This girl didn't deserve this - no one does."

E-mail amichael@enquirer.com