Crime & Safety

Emily Bowman, Hit-and-Run Victim, Showing Signs of Improvement

An Athens neurosurgeon says Emily Bowman's brain is responding to stimulation, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.

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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 aΒ  craniectomy--to give her brain room to swell. She has also drained fluid from Emily's brain and removed a blood clot.

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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.

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