Some days she takes baby steps. Others she takes big steps. But make no mistake, they’re all steps forward and illustrate Hazel Alexander's remarkable recovery and drive to succeed in life.

Alexander, 16, was almost killed in a car crash on Jan. 9 after the vehicle she was driving was hit by Alfred Chester Flamond of Browning. Flamond had allegedly stolen a vehicle at the Town Pump in Evergreen and led police on a high-speed chase through Columbia Falls. The pursuit ended when he allegedly ran a red light at U.S. 2 and Montana 206 and plowed into Alexander’s vehicle.

She suffered numerous injuries, including a ruptured and since-removed spleen, broken femur, broken jaw and shattered pelvis. She also had strokes in both hemispheres of her brain, a full one in the right hemisphere and a partial in the left hemisphere.

Initially taken to Logan Health Medical Center in Kalispell, Alexander was life-flighted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Four months later, one would be hard-pressed to see any evidence that Alexander was even in an vehicle wreck, as she diligently goes to physical and occupational therapy on almost a daily basis, rebuilding not only her strength, but her mental fortitude.

Her main task now, she said recently, is to rebuild the strength in her arms and legs. Before the accident, Alexander was the top runner on the Columbia Falls girls cross country team, taking 20th at the state meet last fall for the Wildcats.

But she spent two-and-a-half months confined to a wheelchair after the wreck, letting her pelvis heal. She can walk now, but she can’t run until she has two screws removed from her pelvis in the fall. Then she has to wait six weeks after that for the holes where the screws were to heal.

She said that should allow her to start training in the winter, with hopes of running track in the spring for her senior season at Columbia Falls.

She also is recovering from the ill effects of the stroke, but has returned to school, where she takes Advanced Placement Chemistry and Spanish in the classroom and several other courses in a homeschool program.

Math can be challenging at times, as she says she doesn’t always remember the methods to solve a problem, but can remember that she once knew the methods. The type of stroke she had affected the part of the brain that deals with spatial recognition, which, as it turns out, is the same portion of the brain used for math.

She has a lot of support from family and friends, including coach Jim Peacock, who she sees regularly, she said.

“Some days I take bigger steps, some days baby steps,” she said of her recovery.

She has no fear of driving again. Her memory of the accident is minimal. She remembers pulling up to the light, starting to make her turn and then saying to herself “no!” multiple times. There was the sound of the crash, but nothing else.

“I don’t have fear,” she said of driving again. “My mom does. I don’t feel like I have PTSD.” 

Alexander attended a recent bail modification hearing for Flamond, where his bail was raised from $200,000 to $500,000. The show of support for her case was evident, as people filled not one, but nearly two courtrooms in Flathead County District Court. The crowd included family, friends, nurses, law enforcement and emergency personnel who helped her along the way, as well as several state lawmakers.

“The thing that struck me was how many people showed up,” Alexander said.

As far as how to deal with people like Flamond who are habitual drug offenders -- he previously had pleaded guilty to felony possession of dangerous drugs and yet skipped out on rehabilitation -- she suggested a criminal rehab program, with a police presence to make sure they go through the treatment.

Her own sights are set on a greater goal.

“The hope is to go to the Naval Academy and study mechanical engineering. Then go into the Marines for aircraft mechanical engineering,” she said. “I’d be proud to be a Marine.”

The one thing that could be an issue is she doesn’t have a spleen, which helps the body fight infections, which could limit her ability to serve in the field. She hopes to get a medical waiver.

Her sister, Isla, is also pursuing a career in the military and will attend the Virginia Military Institute after graduation. Hazel is the daughter of Simon and Colleen Alexander, who have been lobbying lawmakers for stricter laws against habitual offenders.