Grindley: 'I can see it. I'll be there soon'
SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Woodinville woman who was left for dead on a road in Pullman last year is finally headed home after spending months receiving treatment and rehabilitation.
Kristen Grindley was left in the middle of a Whitman County road last November. Investigators believe she either fell or had been thrown from a moving car.
When her father, Rick Grindley, saw her for the first time after the accident, he prayed God would give his daughter a second chance at life. The father says his prayers have been answered.
"She's made so much progress," he said.
Kristen Grindley said she feels she's made about "80-percent" recovery."
"I'm almost 100-percent," she said. "I can see it. I'll be there soon."
Doctors and nurses call the Washington State University graduate "the miracle girl." It was just two months ago when doctors told her family that the 23 year old was just minutes from death when a passerby found her lying unconscious and badly injured in the middle of a road.
"Those first days were the scariest thing that any parent can see," Rick Grindley said.
Kristen Grindley lay unconscious in a hospital bed for days after the incident. She doesn't remember anything from that night or her first few weeks in the hospital.
"The past couple months, I really don't remember, but the last couple weeks I do," Kristen said.
She has retaught herself to walk, talk and read again. And she's relearning her past, piece by piece.
"I'm learning different things every hour," she said. "I've heard stories and I can't believe all this stuff I've done. It's taken me a few months, but I'm fine now. Nothing hurts."
Rick Grindley believes his daughter's determination - the fire in her eye - got her through. Kristen Grindley believes her family was her source of strength.
"They've helped me a lot, and I love them," she said.
After the last two months of fear and stress, taking his daughter home now is cause for Rick Grindley to celebrate.
"I'm so happy today. I've gotten a second chance. I've got my daughter back, and I'm so thankful she's here sitting next to me right now," the father said.
Kristen Grindley was released from St. Luke's Rehabilitation facility Thursday morning. She's scheduled to leave Spokane Friday and head home to Woodinville with a stop along the way at her family's summer home in Lake Chelan.
The investigation into Kristen Grindley's case is ongoing. The Whitman County Sheriff's Office is still awaiting evidence from the state crime lab. The sheriff's office has named Grindley's ex-boyfriend as a person of interest in the case, but no arrests have been made.
KXLY-TV in Spokane contributed to this report.
Kristen Grindley was left in the middle of a Whitman County road last November. Investigators believe she either fell or had been thrown from a moving car.
When her father, Rick Grindley, saw her for the first time after the accident, he prayed God would give his daughter a second chance at life. The father says his prayers have been answered.
"She's made so much progress," he said.
Kristen Grindley said she feels she's made about "80-percent" recovery."
"I'm almost 100-percent," she said. "I can see it. I'll be there soon."
Doctors and nurses call the Washington State University graduate "the miracle girl." It was just two months ago when doctors told her family that the 23 year old was just minutes from death when a passerby found her lying unconscious and badly injured in the middle of a road.
"Those first days were the scariest thing that any parent can see," Rick Grindley said.
Kristen Grindley lay unconscious in a hospital bed for days after the incident. She doesn't remember anything from that night or her first few weeks in the hospital.
"The past couple months, I really don't remember, but the last couple weeks I do," Kristen said.
She has retaught herself to walk, talk and read again. And she's relearning her past, piece by piece.
"I'm learning different things every hour," she said. "I've heard stories and I can't believe all this stuff I've done. It's taken me a few months, but I'm fine now. Nothing hurts."
Rick Grindley believes his daughter's determination - the fire in her eye - got her through. Kristen Grindley believes her family was her source of strength.
"They've helped me a lot, and I love them," she said.
After the last two months of fear and stress, taking his daughter home now is cause for Rick Grindley to celebrate.
"I'm so happy today. I've gotten a second chance. I've got my daughter back, and I'm so thankful she's here sitting next to me right now," the father said.
Kristen Grindley was released from St. Luke's Rehabilitation facility Thursday morning. She's scheduled to leave Spokane Friday and head home to Woodinville with a stop along the way at her family's summer home in Lake Chelan.
The investigation into Kristen Grindley's case is ongoing. The Whitman County Sheriff's Office is still awaiting evidence from the state crime lab. The sheriff's office has named Grindley's ex-boyfriend as a person of interest in the case, but no arrests have been made.
KXLY-TV in Spokane contributed to this report.
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