Emily Bowman has been in a coma since a red Mazda pickup struck her early Saturday morning on Oak Street. But now, neurosurgeon Kimberly Walpert believes there is less chance of the 19-year-old's dying than there was when she arrived at Athens Regional.
According to a story in the Athens Banner Herald, Dr. Walpert has so far removed part of Emily's skull--a procedure called a craniectomy--to give her brain room to swell. She has also drained fluid from Emily's brain and removed a blood clot.
Even though Emily is still comatose, the story says, Dr. Walpert says the injured young woman's brain is responding to stimulation and the brain activity is better than it was a few days ago.
Meanwhile, the Athens Clarke County Police are continuing to build a case against the driver of the Mazda pickup. Emily is an only child, the newspaper story says, and both her parents have been sleeping at the hospital since Saturday night.
