DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Nearly a decade after she survived a fatal DUI crash that killed a fellow officer and friend, former Delray Beach Police Officer Bernenda Marc is channeling her experience into a mission of preparedness and resilience, WPTV reported.
In April 2017, Marc was on vacation in the Florida Keys with Christine Braswell, her mentor and field training officer, according to the report. While riding a scooter, the two were struck by a drunk driver who veered into their lane. Braswell died in the crash. Marc was seriously injured and continues to live with lasting physical and emotional trauma.
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Braswell was known as a trailblazer in law enforcement, serving as the only female sniper in Palm Beach County at the time. Marc described her as “an amazing person” and said the loss continues to affect her.
“I was on the scooter behind her, holding on to her, and I’m here and she isn’t,” Marc told WPTV.
In the years following the crash, Marc also endured the deaths of both parents to cancer and struggled with survivor’s guilt. Her path to healing eventually led her to create The Preparedness Collective, an online platform offering safety and resilience training.
Hosted on the Skool platform, the program draws from Marc’s military and law enforcement background, according to the report. Courses cover situational awareness, mental resilience, and emergency response preparation for scenarios such as shootings or sudden illness.
“Danger doesn’t knock on your door and warn you before it approaches,” Marc said. “...Fight, flight, and freeze are your emotional switches, but how do you deal with them? That’s what I’m trying to prepare you for.”
Her training is geared toward individuals responsible for others, such as parents, community leaders and educators, seeking practical skills to stay calm and act decisively in crisis situations, according to the report.
Marc hopes her work not only helps others but also honors Braswell’s legacy.
“The sudden loss of [Braswell] no longer being here was a huge catalyst for everything else that happened in my life afterward,” she said. “I want to make an impact in someone’s life so they don’t have to go through the things I went through.”
The driver responsible for the 2017 crash was sentenced to 10 years in prison and released earlier this month.
