Hemet Girl Recovering After Being Hit By Classmate's Truck

HEMET (CBS) — A 15-year-old Inland Empire girl is taking the first steps toward recovery after, a classmate in a speeding truck mowed her down in a crosswalk two weeks ago.

Tuesday night Trisha Telezinski said she hoped that her daughter, Helen Richardson, would be released from the hospital and transported to a rehab facility as early as Wednesday.

Richardson had made tremendous progress after coming out of a coma.

"Just the fact that she woke up and knew who we were and remembered the history of our relationships meant the world to me," Telezinski said.

Richardson's accident last month outside Hemet High School left her with critical injuries.

The CHP said the driver of the truck was Daniel Carillo, 18, who is a student at Hemet High School. Carillo had not been charged in the case, as of Tuesday.

On Saturday Helen was able to speak when she was given sips of water.

"When they were giving her the water she was able like kind of stutter. St.. st… Well she kept working and finally it came out to be 'straw.' So she was saying she wanted to drink water with the straw," Telezinski said.

Soon she was able to talk. Then just hours later came signs that she may someday walk again.

"With the aid of the wheelchair she was able to pretty much hold her weight," Telezinski said.

Investigators said Carillo was driving about 50 miles per hour when he ran a red light and injured nearly a dozen people.

Police were recommending to the District Attorney's office to file charges. However, Helen's mother said he showed up to a recent fundraiser for Helen and helped out.

"He's a young kid. I don't want to see him go to jail or prison," she said.

To sun up how Helen's story has touched her community; family friends and even strangers have chipped in so that her mom could buy an SUV, which she will use to visit her Helen in the hospital and eventually to take her to therapy.