Cobb County

KSU student injured by drunk driver hits milestone in recovery

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Emily Bowman, the former Kennesaw State University student critically injured by a drunk driver, is making new progress in her recovery.

More than three years after the accident, Bowman is now able to walk for short periods on her own.

In February 2013, police say a driver hit Bowman along Oak Street in Athens while she was walking to a house to celebrate a friend's birthday.

Bowman suffered critical brain injuries.

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After several surgeries and years of rehabilitation, Bowman’s speech and movement have improved dramatically.

“I walk around the house now to send myself to the bathroom with no one holding me,” Bowman told Channel 2 Action News Wednesday.

When Channel 2 Action News visited with Bowman in May 2014, she was only able to stand for a few seconds with assistance.

Bowman and her family credit a local charity for helping in her recovery.

In June 2013, volunteers with Sunshine on a Ranney Day transformed the Bowman family home in Cherokee County to make it accessible to meet Emily’s special needs.

“They did a really good job with my house and it’s so helpful to me.  My bathroom that I get showers in downstairs, they put a bar for me to hold onto in the shower,” said Bowman.

“What they did for us has been amazing because I mean if we didn’t have what they did, I’ve met so many other families along the way that didn’t have what we have and it’s just been the biggest difference in the world,” said Emily’s mother, Debbie.

Her family knows she still has a long way to go, but Bowman is determined to make a full recovery.

“We’ve still got a ways to go.  But I was recently looking at pictures and it’s just crazy that she was still in her wheelchair, and now on short ventures we just put the wheelchair to the side,” said Debbie Bowman.

In late 2014, the driver charged with hitting Bowman pleaded guilty to drunk driving.

He’s serving a 10-year prison sentence.

The judge also sentenced him to 10 years of probation.