After five surgeries and more than five weeks in the hospital, a woman who was hit by a MARTA train when she jumped on the tracks to save her mother is out of the hospital, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Katie Wenszell, 28, who is now back home in Milwaukee, nearly died when she pushed her mother, Sue Wenszell, out of the way of an oncoming train at the Midtown station on Aug. 19.
Katie Wenszell told the news station she didn’t hesitate at all when she saw her mother in danger.
“I could never live without my mother,” she said. “When I woke up in the ICU five days after the accident, my first thing was, ‘Is my mom OK?’ I didn’t even really care about myself being in the hospital.”
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Given that she spent five days in a medically-induced coma, Katie Wenszell doesn't remember much about the incident, Channel 2 reported.
“I remember mom getting pushed onto the tracks and me jumping,” she said. “That’s literally all I remember.”
According to police, Christopher Patrick Brooklin, 28, pushed Sue Wenszell onto the tracks, and he remains in the Fulton County Jail without bond on aggravated assault and battery charges.
Brooklin also faces a simple battery charge for allegedly hitting another woman at the Midtown station earlier that day.
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Sue Wenszell sustained a concussion and broken bones in her elbow and wrist, but Katie Wenszell’s injuries were more severe.
She had to undergo five surgeries, including a partial leg amputation and facial reconstruction, according to Channel 2.
Katie Wenszell was transferred from Grady Memorial Hospital to Community Memorial Hospital in Menomonee Falls, Wis., before she was released.
In photos provided to Channel 2 on Thursday, she’s seen in a wheelchair and wearing a sling, surrounded by family and other loved ones.
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“Overall, I would say I’m doing a lot better than I have been,” she said. “I am still a fighter as you can see with all the injuries I have had. I’m still making strides and eventually (will) live a normal life again.”
A GoFundMe page to pay for her medical bills has surpassed its $5,000 fundraising goal. As of Thursday night, donors had contributed more than $104,000.
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