More than five weeks after being hit in a Sebastopol crosswalk, teenager Julia Bertoli remains hospitalized in a coma but has shown signs of improved spontaneous movement, a family attorney said Wednesday.
?She?s moving but when she opens her eyes she?s not necessarily really engaged. The brain is still healing,? said David Rouda, a San Francisco attorney and Bertoli family friend.
?It?s going to take a lot longer before we know what her final resolution is going to be,? Rouda said.
Bertoli, 15, of Petaluma has been at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital since the July 3 accident.
She was walking across Healdsburg Avenue at Florence Avenue that evening, talking on a cell phone, when she was struck by a car driven by Linda Chilvers, 65, of Forestville.
In addition to brain injuries, the girl has battled a serious infection, pneumonia and a persistent high fever.
?Every week there is a new development in the progress. New things are happening and that?s a good sign,? Rouda said.
She?s opening her eyes periodically, although apparently remains unaware of her surroundings. ?She has reflexes with her eyes, follows a hands, blinks when you go toward her eye .
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.? he said. ?She is moving her left side a lot, her right side not as much but she does move it a little,? Rouda said. On Friday Bertoli was moved out of intensive care to another hospital wing. She?s also been breathing on her own since late July.Bertoli is the daughter of Valerie Bertoli of Petaluma and Charlie Bertoli of Texas. She was to start her sophomore year at Orchard View School, an independent study charter school in Sebastopol.Instead, she?s expected to remain at the Santa Rosa hospital at least several more months. Family members are with her daily.Sebastopol Police Chief Jeff Weaver said Wednesday that his department?s investigator should complete his report this week. The final piece of the investigation outstanding is a toxicology report on Bertoli from a state lab.?It?s routine for us to analyze this component based on the severity of the collision,? Weaver said. ?We want to make sure we have all the information available.?The investigation showed Bertoli was walking near downtown Sebastopol with three others that evening. They were headed for the annual fireworks show at Analy High School. Bertoli was on her cell phone at the time of the crash, Weaver said. Chilvers, a county librarian, was headed home from work. Weaver said the Chilvers was under the speed limit of 35 mph.Weaver said Chilvers potentially could face a citation for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, Weaver said.
?She is moving her left side a lot, her right side not as much but she does move it a little,? Rouda said. On Friday Bertoli was moved out of intensive care to another hospital wing. She?s also been breathing on her own since late July.
Bertoli is the daughter of Valerie Bertoli of Petaluma and Charlie Bertoli of Texas. She was to start her sophomore year at Orchard View School, an independent study charter school in Sebastopol.
Instead, she?s expected to remain at the Santa Rosa hospital at least several more months. Family members are with her daily.
Sebastopol Police Chief Jeff Weaver said Wednesday that his department?s investigator should complete his report this week. The final piece of the investigation outstanding is a toxicology report on Bertoli from a state lab.
?It?s routine for us to analyze this component based on the severity of the collision,? Weaver said. ?We want to make sure we have all the information available.?
The investigation showed Bertoli was walking near downtown Sebastopol with three others that evening. They were headed for the annual fireworks show at Analy High School. Bertoli was on her cell phone at the time of the crash, Weaver said.
Chilvers, a county librarian, was headed home from work. Weaver said the Chilvers was under the speed limit of 35 mph.
Weaver said Chilvers potentially could face a citation for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, Weaver said.
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