KANSAS CITY, Mo — A Kansas City, Missouri, woman is out of the hospital and speaking out for the first time after she was hit in the head with a rock that crashed through her windshield.
Eva Kearney, 27, is still putting the pieces together hoping to figure out what happened to her the night of Dec. 13, 2022.
“When it first happened, I thought that I had been shot in the head, because that’s what it sounded like,” Kearney said.
Kearney was driving home later than usual from her workplace, The Grove Spa and Boutique, when she turned onto Manchester Avenue.
She remembers seeing a bright street light and then heard a loud, horrible crashing noise.
“I heard a loud pop and I’m assuming that was the sound of my skull cracking. I know that sounds terrible, but that’s what I heard. And I was knocked unconscious for a couple minutes,” Kearney said. “When I did wake up from being knocked out those few minutes, I could sense that there was someone around my car, but I never actually saw anyone.”
Kearney feels she was in the wrong place at the wrong time and believes it was a senseless act of violence by a stranger.
She is now left to deal with the emotional and physical injuries to the skull, left eye and nose.
“Trying to balance my emotions, but also taking the time to still be a mom and healing physically," she said. "It’s like, I don’t want my daughter to see me sad all the time, but at the same time I do need to release these emotions so that I can heal properly."
She will need to consult and meet with a neurologist and a cornea specialist to address her injuries. Kearney will also have to monitor herself for possibilities of seizures due to the trauma her brain endured.
Kearney spent nine days at Research Medical Center and relied on an intubation tube for a day and a half.
“I’m not sure why you did this or what your end game was in this, but I mean, I honestly almost lost my life that night and I would hate to see this happen to anyone else so please just stop,” Kearney said. "Fortunately, I was able to survive, but it’s going to leave a stain on my life and it’s something that I’m gonna have to deal with trauma wise — emotionally and physically. There’s just people out there that we just need to pray for.
The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department was not able to share additional details of the investigation, but Kearney said authorities are hoping for camera footage or DNA analysis from the rock.
“When you have a near-death experience, it kind of just changes your outlook on life. You know, now I don’t feel as fearful of things. I feel a little bit stronger in a way, a little bit more confident,” Kearney said. “Just so thankful for everyone who contributed to my GoFundMe fundraiser — that was just amazing. And I really felt like it helped a lot with my recovery process — just knowing that people are that generous and willing to pass the blessing on. It just really helped a lot out for my family and I.”
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