A Kalispell woman who was left paralyzed in a hit-and-run accident five years ago has been named Ms. Wheelchair Montana.

Starla Hilliard Barnes, 26, will compete for the national title in competition starting July 15 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The nonprofit program was organized in 1972 by a Columbus, Ohio, physician as a forum to promote the achievements of women who use wheelchairs for mobility.

Since her accident, Starla has worked to regain her independence. She got married, gave birth to her daughter, Elissiah, two years ago and has become an advocate for overcoming adversity.

“The biggest thing about this competition is that it’s not just about beauty,” she said. “It’s teaching other women they can do anything they could before their injury. It’s breaking down barriers.”

She said her mantra has become, “We should never stop rocking just because we roll.”

Starla was riding her sport bike through a downtown Kalispell intersection in June 2009 when a vehicle ran a red light and struck her, then sped away from the scene.

She was thrown about 20 feet from her bike. Several of her vertebrae were broken, along with her collarbone, left shoulder blade and all of her ribs. Both lungs were punctured and the force of the helmet crushed part of her face, causing extensive damage that would be remedied by a metal plate placed between her eye and nose. Her internal injuries were extensive.

The accident left her paralyzed from the waist down.

Despite the severity of her injuries and her paralysis, she displayed an extraordinary spirit of survival from the get-go.

It was that positive energy that drew her husband-to-be, Shannon Barnes, to her a couple of years later.

An active gymnast and cheerleader in high school, Starla worked as a model in her early 20s and had established herself as a professional model and successful businesswoman. She also loved riding dirt bikes with the rest of her family.

Most recently Starla and Shannon have been working to raise $100,000 for special braces and out-of-state rehabilitation that would allow her to walk again.

“We’re about one-fifth of the way there,” she said about the fundraising effort.

Because she has experienced some feeling in her hips and legs and the damage to her spinal cord was considered incomplete, she has a 50-50 chance of one day walking again.

A Stand Up for Starla Facebook page has coordinated the fundraising campaign.

The Barneses’ focus has been to deliver a message of hope to others struggling with any kind of adversity.

“Use your circumstances to make yourself stronger rather than let them break you,” Shannon said in an interview in December. “We know we have an opportunity to change people’s lives.”

Starla’s future plans include becoming a motivational speaker and a mentor for other paraplegics.

“I can still help people. I feel very blessed,” she said. “I would like to do whatever I can, wherever doors are opened.”

Those wanting to vote for Starla for the Ms. Wheelchair USA’s People’s Choice Award can go online to mswheelchairusa.org/page13.html. A $5 donation per vote goes to Project Elf, a holiday gift program for individuals with disabilities. Supporters can also post good-luck messages or give video “shout outs” for Starla.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.