MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – Family members are mourning the loss of a Clinton Township mother while remaining hopeful about her teenage son’s recovery following a fatal crash on Groesbeck Highway last week.
Amber Schwark was killed in a head-on collision while driving with her 12-year-old son Wyatt on Thursday (Feb. 12) afternoon.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Elizabeth Road and Hall Road (M-59) in Macomb County.
“It’s all blown away, and the family is suffering,” said Steve Barefield, Schwark’s stepfather. “Amber’s mom is deeply grieving but just trying to get through everything and do what’s best for the kids.”
Schwark, who worked at the Sterling Heights Stamping Plant for 13 years, was described by family as a devoted single mother who shared a special bond with her children, Wyatt and daughter Olivia.
“They had a special bond. Being a single parent, it was even more so, and she was just a great mom,” Barefield said.
Wyatt sustained serious injuries in the crash, including a broken femur, a broken jaw, and a brain bleed.
He has since been moved out of the intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, where he continues to recover.
“The doctors, and the nurses, and all the staff down there, a friend of mine told me that’s the closest thing you’ll see on this planet to the hand of God in action. Those guys worked miracles,” Barefield said.
In response to the tragedy, a mother who knew of the family through Wyatt’s baseball team started a GoFundMe campaign, which has already raised more than $70,000 to help with mounting medical bills and funeral expenses.
“We won’t be worried about money,” Barefield said. “I’m not rich, their other granddads are not rich, but we will pitch in together and make sure these kids have as good a life as they can without their mom.”
The crash remains under investigation by Clinton Township police.