WSU grad left for dead can't recall incident
SPOKANE, Wash. -- More than a month has passed since Kristen Grindley was found bleeding and unconscious in the middle of a dark Pullman road, but the events of that day still remain unclear to Grindley herself, according to her father.
Rick Grindley says his daughter has been in a thick cloud of fog. Memory and speech are slowly returning to the Washington State University graduate, but she still has no idea why she's in the hospital or how she got there.
"It was the worst thing a parent could ever experience -- it's that phone call that everybody dreads," Rick Grindley said.
Whitman County authorities called the father early morning on Nov. 11, and asked whether he had a daughter living in Pullman and whether he could identify her. A woman had been left for dead on a road near Pullman.
Rick Grindley said he spent the next four hours in a blur, as he drove from Seattle to Spokane, not knowing what to expect.
"Extreme anger in terms of, 'How could somebody do this to her? How could someone leave her?' which was the most horrifying thing," he said.
At the Intensive Care Unit at Sacred Heart Medical Center, Rick Grindley found his daughter bandaged from head to toe, sedated and on a ventilator. The parts of her body that were not bandaged were either bruised or cut, he said.
"As a father you just feel like it's your responsibility to protect your kids and it feels like, how did I let her down?" he said.
The 23-year-old woman from Woodinville experienced major head trauma when she fell out of or was thrown from a vehicle along Pullman-Albion Road. As a result, she is unable to recall the events of that night.
Her father can only piece things together on his own as he waits for his daughter's memory to return.
"We know that Kristen was safe in the house she was sharing with her boyfriend until about 1:27 in the morning," Rick Grindley said.
The woman's boyfriend is considered a person of interest in the case and Whitman County detectives have seized his car as evidence.
"Clearly we're just letting nature take its course, let her get better. And then when she's able to speak, when she can remember specifics about that night, we'll put her in contact with the Whitman County Sheriff's Office," Rick said.
Meantime, Rick Grindley says his family will focus on their loved one's recovery. She was recently moved from Sacred Heart to St. Luke's Rehabilitation Institute, but was moved back to Sacred Heart after a setback involving blood clots this week.
The blood clots are under control, Rick Grindley said, and she will soon return to the rehabilitation center where she receives physical and speech therapy.
"She's not going to give up," he said. "She was on the treadmill last week when I was over at the rehab center. And you could just see it in her -- she is going to get better."
KXLY-TV in Spokane contributed to this report.
Rick Grindley says his daughter has been in a thick cloud of fog. Memory and speech are slowly returning to the Washington State University graduate, but she still has no idea why she's in the hospital or how she got there.
"It was the worst thing a parent could ever experience -- it's that phone call that everybody dreads," Rick Grindley said.
Whitman County authorities called the father early morning on Nov. 11, and asked whether he had a daughter living in Pullman and whether he could identify her. A woman had been left for dead on a road near Pullman.
Rick Grindley said he spent the next four hours in a blur, as he drove from Seattle to Spokane, not knowing what to expect.
"Extreme anger in terms of, 'How could somebody do this to her? How could someone leave her?' which was the most horrifying thing," he said.
At the Intensive Care Unit at Sacred Heart Medical Center, Rick Grindley found his daughter bandaged from head to toe, sedated and on a ventilator. The parts of her body that were not bandaged were either bruised or cut, he said.
"As a father you just feel like it's your responsibility to protect your kids and it feels like, how did I let her down?" he said.
The 23-year-old woman from Woodinville experienced major head trauma when she fell out of or was thrown from a vehicle along Pullman-Albion Road. As a result, she is unable to recall the events of that night.
Her father can only piece things together on his own as he waits for his daughter's memory to return.
"We know that Kristen was safe in the house she was sharing with her boyfriend until about 1:27 in the morning," Rick Grindley said.
The woman's boyfriend is considered a person of interest in the case and Whitman County detectives have seized his car as evidence.
"Clearly we're just letting nature take its course, let her get better. And then when she's able to speak, when she can remember specifics about that night, we'll put her in contact with the Whitman County Sheriff's Office," Rick said.
Meantime, Rick Grindley says his family will focus on their loved one's recovery. She was recently moved from Sacred Heart to St. Luke's Rehabilitation Institute, but was moved back to Sacred Heart after a setback involving blood clots this week.
The blood clots are under control, Rick Grindley said, and she will soon return to the rehabilitation center where she receives physical and speech therapy.
"She's not going to give up," he said. "She was on the treadmill last week when I was over at the rehab center. And you could just see it in her -- she is going to get better."
KXLY-TV in Spokane contributed to this report.