Another victim from the Jan. 25 accident has been released from the hospital, and the last one is expected to leave soon.
Deanna Romero, freshman international studies major from Sioux Falls, S.D., was discharged from Hendrick Medical Center on Friday. Rebekah Cherniss, freshman Ad/PR major from Katy, underwent successful surgery on Friday morning and expects to be discharged this week. Both were involved in the head-on collision on TX-36 almost two weeks ago. Three other students were injured in the accident, and 20-year-old Lindsey Smith, junior Ad/PR major from New Braunfels, died in the crash. The other driver, Jeffrey Davis, 27, also died on the scene.
Kevin Cherniss, Rebekah’s father, said she walked outside her hospital room for the first time since the accident on Monday.
Rebekah Cherniss
“The surgery went well,” he said, “and now she’s been sitting up and did some walking all the way down the hall.”
Kevin said Rebekah could be discharged as soon as Wednesday or Thursday. He said once she can, they will take her back to a rehabilitation hospital near her home in the Houston suburb.
Kevin said the local support has helped the family during Rebekah’s recovery.
“We really appreciate the school, from the classmates to the administration, and the city,” he said.
Romero’s Cornerstone instructor last semester, Karen Cukrowski, offered her to come stay with her while recovers. She’s been there since Friday with her mother, Marcia Holliway. Romero said she’s been improving slowly from a broken collarbone, fractured vertebrae and some cuts and bruises. She wears a back brace and uses a cane to get around.
Deanna Romero
“I’m doing all right,” Romero said. “Taking little baby steps day by day. Lots of ups and downs.”
Romero said she plans to stay in the Cukrowskis’ home for about another week, then hopefully move back into Nelson Hall. She wants to slowly work her way to returning to class before too much time passes.
“I’ll be meeting with ACU soon about classes,” she said. “I hope to return to school soon and possibly drop a class or two.”
Romero has been able to walk some, and gets a little more ability each day. She hopes, if everything goes well, to attend Chapel on Friday.
