On the day Ling Murray was taken out of a medically induced coma, Rohnert Park city officials urged greater attention to driver awareness and the safety of the city's pedestrian crossings.
Murray, 40, was severely injured and her 2-year-old daughter, Calli Murray, was killed when they were struck by a car in a Snyder Lane crosswalk just after dark on Dec. 1. Police said driver Kaitlyn Dunaway, 18, was using her phone at the time of the crash.
City Manager Gabe Gonzalez said Thursday that after a review of citizen complaints and accidents in the crosswalk area, he does not foresee additional study of the intersection's safety.
Rather, he said, the city would be more likely to stage a driver education campaign because the investigation suggests Dunaway may have been distracted by a cell phone when she struck Ling and Cali Murray.
"I think that is really more the priority here, to get people to really take that seriously," he said.
However, Councilman Joe Callinan said the accident also should force an examination of the intersection.
"Personally, I would think that the city would do its due diligence and check into that," Callinan said. "Whenever there's a death, especially a young child, we should take another look."
Police on Thursday released statistics showing that the intersection has been the scene of four crashes since 2003, including the one that killed Calli Murray.
In 2007, a vehicle crash involving a bicyclist resulted in minor injuries, Lt. Jeff Taylor said. In 2004, there were two minor two-vehicle crashes that were blamed on excessive speeds, he said.
A review of city records showed there were no complaints from citizens recorded about the intersection prior to the Dec. 1 accident, Gonzalez said.
"If the city is to look at the safety of that intersection, it will be something we do on more of a global basis," Gonzalez said.
On Thursday, Murray was "breathing on her own" and was "talking on her own," said her stepfather-in-law, Al Andres of Hartley, Del.
"She's comprehending what's going on, we're having good conversations," Andres said. "It's been a very good morning. She's doing extremely well under the circumstances."
However, doctors told the family they expect Murray will be hospitalized for months, not weeks as previously thought, and will undergo many surgeries and procedures to repair her legs, pelvis and other injuries, he said.
"We've got three months in the hospital, at least," Andres said. "Will she walk again? Will she have braces or crutches? I can't answer any of those questions."
The prognosis brings an extra burden for the Murrays, who have been without health insurance after Murray's husband, Jeff Murray, 46, lost his job about a year ago. Ling Murray cared for Calli, who would have turned 3 on Christmas Day, and 14-year-old son, Tian Tian Li, and was not employed, he said. Jeff Murray was in the process of applying for Medi-Cal to get help coverage for his wife's medical expenses, Andres said.
Attempts to reach Dunaway at her family's Rohnert Park home were unsuccessful.
Neighbors said the Dunaways are "good" people.
"It is tragic," said Alex Bux, 19, who lives across the street.
Faith Ako, who has been a neighbor for more than 20 years, said Dunaway grew up in Rohnert Park and lost her father at a young age. Newspaper archives show that her father, Steve Dunaway, died in 1998 after a long illness.
"They're a great family and she is a great kid," Ako said. "I don't know what the circumstance was at the time. She's been a great driver around here. ... I can't even imagine how her life has changed."
Ako said Dunaway moved with her mother and sister to Petaluma for several years, and then returned to the same Rohnert Park house about a year ago.
Neighbors said Dunaway lived there with her mother, Sandra Dunaway, and stepfather.
Dunaway was living in campus dormitories as a freshman at Sonoma State University, according to neighbors and Sonoma State officials.
But after the car accident, she moved out of the dormitory and back to her home, said Susan Kashack, spokeswoman for SSU. Kashack said she does not know if Dunaway is still attending classes. One week remains in the semester when most students will be taking final exams, Kashack said.
Head volleyball coach Edward Grassl said he hasn't spoken with Dunaway in several days.
"Kids looked up to her, she was a good role model," Grassl said. "There's a tragedy that she's going through, the experience that she's going through, and it pales in comparison to the family. ... It's going to be a while before there's some healing that can happen for anybody."
Police on Thursday were waiting for Dunaway's cell phone service carrier to release her phone records to determine whether she was text messaging or talking on the phone and how long the device was in use, Sgt. Jeff Nicks said.
Police also are investigating whether Murray entered the crosswalk with her daughter under unsafe conditions, an infraction offense according to state vehicle code, Nicks said.
"There could be zero fault on the part of the driver up to vehicular manslaughter," Nicks said. "There could be some fault on the pedestrians. We have to be able to articulate all the facts."
Police have yet to interview Ling Murray, a key step in the investigation, Taylor said.
Officers also hope that a witness driving a cream or gold colored 4-door sedan behind Dunaway will come forward, Nicks said. The driver was behind Dunaway on southbound Snyder Lane and then began pulling into the left-hand turn lane when the crash occurred.
Six investigators are working on the case. They are trying to determine how fast Dunaway was traveling, how much time she had to stop the vehicle and other factors, Nicks said.
Rohnert Park residents have called for city officials to examine the safety conditions of mid-block crosswalks on busy streets. The crossing at Snyder Lane and Medical Center Drive draws pedestrians from nearby Sunrise Park, where the Murrays had been playing, as well as from nearby schools, child care centers and a medical office park.
A fund for the Murrays has been set up to help with medical expenses, Andres said. People can donate to account No. 3584111, Redwood Credit Union, 250 Rohnert Park Expressway, Rohnert Park, 94928.
The Murrays have also opened the Calli Ann Memorial Fund, or CAMF, account No.7555557037, Wells Fargo Bank, 5 Padre Parkway, Rohnert Park, 94928.
Staff Writer Brett Wilkison contributed to this report.
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