STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) - The events of Oct. 24, 2015, follow Kelly Murphy seemingly everywhere.
Not in her head - she has no memory of the incident. And, really, not even physically, although she suffered broken legs.
But strangers who know her story remind her of what happened at 10:31 a.m. that Saturday morning. Murphy was among those injured when Adacia Chambers crashed into a crowd during Oklahoma State University’s Sea of Orange Homecoming Parade.
“I have had to wrap my head around why it such a big deal,” Murphy said. “I was surprised so many people were aware of it. Strangers would come up and hug me, tell me I have been on their prayer list.
“I don’t think about it very much. I never thought about why me? I had all those injuries. I never harped on (Chambers). I didn’t know her name for longest time. Maybe I was more worried about getting better.”
Getting better was the only choice Murphy thought she had. She had a daughter to think about. She saw her husband picking up the slack around the house. She wanted to return to work. She wanted to get back to her active lifestyle.
She was able to be on her feet - with the help of a walker - sooner than expected thanks to rods that were surgically inserted into her legs. A first step.
“I wanted my life back,” Murphy said. “That helped me (rods). Being in a wheelchair, that could have easily spun me into some kind of depression. I wanted to be back to normal. You don’t want to watch your life around you.”
The Stillwater News Press (https://bit.ly/1SNVrHb ) reports that Murphy reached a personal milestone in the form of the Go-Girl run in Oklahoma City on March 25. With the help of friends and family as much as her cane, Murphy finished the 5k. She also walked the Remember the Ten Run on April 16. Her friends surrounded her wearing shirts that read “Kelly’s Squad.”
It was “emotional and impactful” to finish the Go-Girl 5k. Finishing the Remember the Ten Run only a half-mile from the homecoming crash site was something unexpected. Strangers chanted her name as she crossed the finish line.
“It was amazing,” Murphy said. “It was emotional for me. I had hidden for a long time. That was my first time out in public. You don’t realize it is going to hit you like that.”
Murphy is back at OSU working full time, which is part of her process to getting back as normal as possible.
“I think you just don’t know how you handle until you are in it,” Murphy said. “You don’t have a choice but to get up and walk and do thing. Sitting around doing nothing is not an option. The recovery physically was fast. In my mind, it was a very slow process.”
Murphy was floored by the amount of support that poured in from people from all walks of her life. She found people that were unexpectedly there for her in her time of need and others that were unexpectedly absent.
It was surreal for Murphy to hear such great things about her from those she knew. It was almost as if she had died that October morning. Naturally, she had developed a new perspective.
“Things I would stress over before, don’t stress as much,” Murphy said. “People are put in their life at the right time for the right time. Some that eight months ago I didn’t know are some of the most important people in my life now. Seems like been with them for years because we have gone through this.”
Murphy was one of the more than 100 people subpoenaed to testify in Chambers’ preliminary hearing in early April. Chambers waived her right to a preliminary hearing and a trial date could be set in May. Appearing for Chambers’ court proceedings is something Murphy has had to wrestle with.
“I think I am ready (to go to court),” Murphy said. “I think that is something I should do. It would be part of my healing process to see her.”
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Information from: Stillwater News Press, https://www.stwnewspress.com
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