It was the news her family and friends waited five weeks to hear. Agnes Yena Kim, critically injured in a crash that killed four friends, is no longer in a coma.
The 21-year-old, now a University of Georgia graduate, is awake, according to her friends. But while no longer unconscious, Kim hasn’t fully emerged, friends posted on a You Caring page.
“She is not yet fully conscious but definitely awake and alert!” the update says. “Agnes will continue undergoing speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy with an additional activity-based therapy implemented just this week. Please pray for her body and mind to continue healing, for her to regain consciousness, and for her continued strength in order to persevere during this difficult time.”
Kim is recovering at the Shepherd Center, where she was admitted to the brain injury unit on May 12. Both Kim’s family and her medical team declined Wednesday to discuss her progress. But a Shepherd spokeswoman said the Kim family approved the message posted online.
Kim was days away from graduating and was heading back to the UGA campus with four friends on the night of April 27. As Kim drove northbound on Ga. 15 in Oconee County, she crossed the center line and into the path of another car, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
“It’s just a long stretch of country road,” Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry said of Ga. 15 days after the crash. “The truth is I don’t know why they crossed the center line, and I don’t know if we’ll ever know.”
When Kim's Toyota Camry crossed the center line, it was struck by a Chevrolet Cobalt, investigators said. The impact sent the Toyota into a ditch, killing three of the passengers and shutting down Ga. 15. A fourth passenger died after she was taken to Athens Regional Medical Center. The Chevrolet driver, Abby Short, suffered leg injuries that required surgery, but she survived the crash.
Kayla Leigh Canedo, 19, of Alpharetta; Brittany Katherine Feldman, 20, of Alpharetta; Christina Devon Semeria, 19, of Milton; and Halle Grace Scott, 19, of Dunwoody, all died from their injuries. Kim was critically injured and was also taken to Athens Regional, where family stayed at her bedside. The senior marketing major was in a coma, according to her pastor, who prayed over Kim in the intensive care unit.
As the Athens campus grieved for four students, the community prayed for Kim to survive. Active on campus and in her church, Kim, a Brookwood High School graduate, had been a resident assistant in a freshman dorm and was involved in the Young Life ministry.
“Everyone on campus loves her,” Brittany Torres said at a vigil outside UGA’s Tate Center. “Nobody is such a light. … I just pray for her safe recovery.”
Two weeks after the wreck, Kim was transferred to Atlanta's Shepherd Center, where she remained Wednesday. She wasn't able to attend her graduation, but Kim was awarded her diploma during the ceremony.
Kim’s family has asked for privacy while she recovers, but has thanked those continuing to offer prayers and support.
The crash remained under investigation Wednesday, the GSP said.
