Kiara Bowling returned on foot to the Oakland intersection where a car driven by a child nearly killed her. Almost three months after the crash, she could meet some of the people who had helped her when she lay unconscious on the pavement.
In a new ABC7 News interview with reporter Luz Peña, Bowling spoke about surviving a traumatic brain injury. The 32-year-old had been walking her best friend’s dog when the car struck her from behind.
Months of recovery have included learning to walk, talk, and eat on her own again. Walking took practice in the hospital, and she has no memory of the crash itself.
Bowling is a college student with plans to attend law school. She had also worked as a teacher assistant, and Peña asked how she now felt about the two young brothers who had been in the car.
Familiar Faces
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People who had witnessed the crash and helped Bowling stopped by during the interview. One helper recalled telling Bowling that she would be OK while someone else performed CPR, then seeing a tear come from her eye.
Peña also arranged a FaceTime call with Lavelle Shah-Marquis, who had been visiting Oakland from Seattle when the crash happened. He described the car approaching from behind, striking Bowling and the dog, and knocking her through the air.
“Because of my brain injuries, I have no recollection of that,” she said. “But me and the dog are recovering.”
That August Morning
Oakland Police were dispatched to 35th and Mangels avenues at about 9:15 a.m. on August 6. Their preliminary account described a northbound car swerving into the southbound lane and hitting another vehicle before its driver lost control and struck a pedestrian in the crosswalk.
After hitting her, the car struck the retaining wall of a home’s front yard. Its occupants were freed from the vehicle and taken to a hospital, while the other driver stayed to give officers a statement.
Police officers, firefighters, and medical personnel gave the injured woman first aid on the sidewalk. An ambulance took her to Highland Hospital in critical condition.
Bowling’s aunt, Karon Markham, organized a family fundraiser to help pay for medical care, transportation to appointments, physical therapy, and possible future surgeries.
During Bowling’s return visit, people stopped to hug her as she read messages on a poster bearing her photos. When Peña asked whether she forgave the children, Bowling answered, “I do forgive them, yes.” ABC7 reported that doctors expect her recovery to take two years.