The 19-year-old Woodstock woman who has been hospitalized after being run over last month in Athens has achieved yet another milestone in her battle towards recovery.
Emily Bowman, who has now been breathing on her own, opening her eyes and responding to stimuli, was moved to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta for rehab on Friday, WSB reports.
Bowman's uncle Neal Bowman said on Thursday in a post on the Bows for Bowman Facebook page that his niece has "made enough improvement that her doc[tor] told her mom she's now now technically in a coma."
Bowman, a former Kennesaw State University student and Woodstock High School graduate, has been hospitalized in critical condition at Athens Regional Medical Center since Feb. 16 when she was hit by a pick-up truck as she and a friend walked along Oak Street.
They were walking on the grassy shoulder, investigators believe, when 22-year-old William Wilson Heaton's Mazda pickup left the road and then hit Bowman from behind as he returned the vehicle to the road. He left the area and abandoned the truck, police believe.
Heaton surrendered himself to the Clarke County Sheriff's Office and was booked into the Clarke County Jail on Wednesday evening.
He has been charged with hit-and-run, driving under the influence, serious injury by vehicle, failure to maintain lane, reckless driving, and open container, according to Athens Clarke County Police.
He was granted a $50,000 bond on Thursday, and according to the Banner-Herald, he must relinquish his driver’s license, abstain from drinking alcohol, remain under house arrest from 9 p.m. until 7 a.m., find a place in Athens-Clarke or Oconee counties to live before he can be fitted with an ankle monitor.
