February 5, 2025 - Kara Martin said she had feelings of extreme excitement as the walls were raised Monday morning on her new Habitat for Humanity home in Tuscaloosa.

"It feels like a birthday and Christmas all over again," Martin said as dozens of volunteers from Warrior Met Coal and the community worked on the exterior of the home on Milestone Circle.

Her family has been on an arduous journey to get to this joyous moment after the horror of July 13, 2022. That’s when Martin and her four children were involved in a major car accident on Skyland Boulevard.

Feb 3, 2025; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Kara Martin stands in front of the new Habitat for Humanity home for her and her family on Milestone Circle in Tuscaloosa as construction begins.

Her 9-year-old twins – son Malcolm and daughter Miracle – were badly injured. Malcolm was initially paralyzed from the waist down, while Miracle was paralyzed from the neck down. The two other children also had injuries that were less severe.

Malcolm has since regained the use of his legs, but Miracle continues to rely on a wheelchair.

Martin said she and her family are doing much better since the crash and Miracle has shown some improvement.

"We're doing great, Miracle has come a long way since her injuries," Martin said.

Builders have dubbed the design of the new Habitat home as the “Miracle Plan.” 

Habitat Tuscaloosa’s construction staff used an existing house plan and incorporated recommendations from medical professionals as well as Miracle’s caregiver, her mom.

Ellen Potts, Habitat Tuscaloosa's executive director, said the home will be fully accessible and designed to ensure that Miracle can move throughout the home freely.

Potts said she was thrilled to be able build a fully accessible home for Martin’s family. She said that’s a feature that’s not always easy to obtain.

"We've been able to build a fully accessible house for a few families who needed that level of accessibility and to them, it's just a godsend," Potts said.

Potts said the home is expected to be complete in May.

The Milestone neighborhood will eventually have 32 homes, according to a Habitat Tuscaloosa news release.

Warrior Met Coal Inc. is sponsoring Martin’s Habitat home. Tuscaloosa City Schools’ students in the Tuscaloosa Career and Technology Academy construction trades program will help build the home.

The students’ participation is part of Habitat’s Operation Transformation. Habitat says the skills the students learn while building homes will benefit the community of Tuscaloosa for years to come.

One of Operation Transformation’s top goals is building at least 75 homes in West Tuscaloosa by the end of the decade.

Habitat homeowners are allowed to purchase their homes at fair market value through 0% interest, 30-year mortgages and they agree to provide at least 250 hours of labor.