The boyfriend of a Kansas State University student who miraculously survived a Final Destination-style major highway car crash before falling off a 70-foot bridge has revealed what happened in the haunting moments before tragedy struck.
Kyra Kinnison, 20, lost all her memory after plummeting down the massive drop while she desperately swerved away from a car that was about to crash into her in Ogden.
Her boyfriend, Dalten Grabast, who was driving in another vehicle at the scene, said that his caring girlfriend was in fact walking on the highway to see if he was okay.
Grabast had just been involved in the four-car pile-up himself, and Kinnison had rushed out to check on him when she saw a frantic car heading in her direction.
It was at this point that disaster struck – and in a bid to avoid the harrowing collision, she sidestepped and accidentally fell into the dark abyss underneath Highway K-18.
Grabast recalled the agonizing 30 minutes between watching his girlfriend drop off the edge and when she was recovered – during which time he didn’t know if she was dead or alive.
Recalling his own car crash, he told the Daily Mail that Kinnison immediately pulled over and ‘got out to make sure I was okay.’
‘That’s why she was on the bridge and needed to avoid the oncoming vehicle,’ he added.
Kyra Kinnison, 20, survived a multiple-vehicle crash but fell over the edge of a 70-foot bridge when trying to jump out of the way of an approaching car
Police said that first responders rescued Kinnison using ‘high-angle rescue equipment’
Kinnison exited her car to check ‘to make sure I was okay,’ her boyfriend, Dalten Grabast told the Daily Mail
‘She doesn’t really remember much of it happening at all,’ Grabast said. ‘The truck coming at her is the last thing she remembers.’
After a desperate search for the student, first responders found Kinnison and used ‘high-angle rescue equipment’ to lift her from below the bridge, while she was in critical condition, police said.
A close friend, Sara Celeen, told the Daily Mail that Kinnison fell through trees and rolled down a slope, narrowly missing rocks and barbed wire, adding that: ‘It could have been a very different story.’
Kinnison’s boyfriend said: ‘I was terrified and the 30 to 40 minutes it took to lift her on to the bridge.
‘It felt like an eternity because I didn’t know the condition she was in or if I was going to lose the love of my life or not.’
The 20-year-old was rushed to a hospital in Manhattan, Kansas, and later taken to Topeka for additional treatment.
‘Once they got her up on the bridge I walked beside her while she was on the stretcher to EMS and let her know I was there with her, and that I loved her,’ Grabast said.
Kinnison’s boyfriend told the Daily Mail that he was scared whether he was ‘going to lose the love of my life or not’
Grabast said he and Kinnison’s mom are going to take care of the 20-year-old at his place as soon as she gets released from the hospital
Kinnison is described as a ‘very intelligent, beautiful, friendly, generous young woman,’ who is ‘very well-versed with cows and many other animals’ on GoFundMe
Corporal Jonathan Shepard of the Riley County Police Department explained after the rescue: ‘This was a complex and rapidly developing scene. The coordinated effort allowed responders to safely manage the crash scene and complete the rescue.’
Kinnison suffered fractures along her back, including several vertebrae, her pelvis and tailbone. Her hip re-alignment surgery was originally scheduled for Monday but got postponed to Friday.
‘It’s a miracle she ended up in the condition she is in,’ Grabast said. ‘After the fall with the support of a walker she was able to walk a little under 48 hours of the accident happening.’
Celeen set up a GoFundMe for Kinnison to cover the student’s ‘rent, medical bills, and anything else she needs it for.’
Sara Celeen, a close friend of Kinnison, has set up a fundraiser to cover the student’s medical cost and rent while she is recovering
Kinnison’s mother (right) flew in from North Carolina to take care of her daughter
Sara Celeen (left) set up a GoFundMe to help Kinnison with rent and medical costs while she is recovering
The animal science and production management major is a ‘very intelligent, beautiful, friendly, generous young woman,’ who is ‘very well-versed with cows and many other animals,’ Celeen wrote.
‘I knew something happened but, oh my gosh, I was devastated when I heard about the accident,’ Celeen told the Mail. ‘When I saw her in the hospital, there were a lot of I love yous. We are practically sisters.’
Her boyfriend said that they are still awaiting details for her long term physical therapy but that he will take care of her at his place together with Kinnison’s mom, who flew in from North Carolina.
Kinnison declined to comment for this article.
