Woman Faces 'Lifelong Recovery' After Being Hit By Child Driver, Family Says

OAKLAND, CA — A woman who was hospitalized after being hit by a child driver in Oakland last week has yet to regain consciousness and faces a lifelong battle if she does, according to an East Bay Times report and a fundraiser started by her family to help with medical bills.

Kiara Bowling was crossing the street at the intersection of 35th and Mangels avenues with her dog on Thursday, Aug. 6, when she was struck by a car driven by a six-year-old driver, according to police.

The children took their parents' cars while they were sleeping and drove several blocks before the crash, according to authorities. No criminal charges have been filed, and police said the boys' parents are cooperating with the investigation, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The six-year-old remained hospitalized with two broken legs as of Tuesday, according to the East Bay Times, and his four-year-old brother, who was a passenger in the car, has been released from the hospital.

Bowling, meanwhile, remains hospitalized with a brain injury as well as facial and rib fractures, according to the East Bay Times, which interviewed Bowling's aunt, Karon Markham.

"Kiara is facing a lifelong recovery and will need continued care far beyond the immediate aftermath of the accident," Markham said in the fundraiser. She told the East Bay Times that it's been a stressful time because "of the unknown and that "it's all up to God."

Bowling's family, in interviews with KTVU, said they held no ill will against the children and reminded adults to look after their children.

"We all know children do not know how to operate a vehicle," Bowling’s sister, Christina Blackmon, told KTVU.

"I don't hold any animosity, Markham told KTVU. "When you have young children, you should always be present, because young children are going to try anything and everything. What they see you do, they’re gonna try."

Bowling is in her final semester at California State University East Bay. She was recently selected as Ms. California California Regency International pageant.

Community members, meanwhile, have rallied around Bowling. So far, her fundraiser has raised $91,020 out of its $100,000 goal.