A 31-year-old woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury last month after being struck by a car driven by two young brothers has no recollection of the crash and is relearning how to walk, her aunt says
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NEED TO KNOW
- Kiara Bowling, 31, suffered a traumatic brain injury after being struck by a car driven by two young brothers around 9:30 a.m. in Oakland, Calif.
- Bowling’s aunt, Karon Markham, tells PEOPLE that investigators told the family the boys had taken their parents’ car keys while they were asleep
- Oakland police have said the children’s parents are cooperating with the investigation
A 31-year-old woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury last month after being struck by a car driven by two brothers, ages 4 and 7, in Oakland, Calif., has no recollection of the crash and is relearning how to walk, her aunt says.
Kiara Bowling was walking her friend’s dog, Grizzly, around 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 6 when she was struck from behind by the brothers, her aunt, Karon Markham, tells PEOPLE.
In addition to the brain injury, Bowling also sustained broken ribs, a facial fracture and memory loss, Markham says. But she’s making progress: Bowling recently took her first steps since the crash.
“She is now able to eat solid foods. She has learned to swallow,” says Markham, 62. “She’s working on a puzzle, and she’s learning to color.”
“She has a long way to go,” Markham adds.
Bowling’s neuropsychologist plans to test how far back her memory goes. Bowling has been asking about her mother and brother, both of whom passed away in recent years. Markham says she and other relatives have not told Bowling that her mother and brother are deceased when she asks about them because they do not want to upset her or impede her recovery.
Doctors have told the family that it is unclear whether Bowling will ever be able to fully function on her own and that it could take years for her to recover.
“We’re leaning on our faith that that will happen,” Markham says.
Bowling is aware of the crash but is confused about the specifics, according to Markham.
“She knows the incident from people communicating about it,” Markham says. “She told me, ‘Two children stole my car and they hit me with my own car,’ and then 15 minutes later, she said, ‘Two children stole their parents’ car and they hit me with their car.’”
The Oakland Police Department has said that the vehicle the children were driving sideswiped another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction, then lost control and struck a woman, later identified by Markham as Bowling, who had been in a crosswalk walking Grizzly. Bowling and the children were taken to a hospital. She was listed in critical condition, while the children were in stable condition.
Markham, whose mother helped raise Bowling and some of Bowling’s siblings, says she has not spoken to investigators since and has unanswered questions, including how the children were able to drive away in the vehicle without their parents’ knowledge.
Oakland police did not respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment this week about the status of the investigation. Markham says she spoke to investigators last month, who told her the children had taken their parents’ car keys while they were asleep, then climbed out of a window in their home before driving away in the vehicle.
“They did tell us during the conversation that the parents wanted to speak with us, but we’ve been so busy and wrapped up in what’s going on with Kiara, we just don’t have the time,” Markham says.
“There’s pieces of the puzzle that just don’t fit,” she says.
According to Markham, investigators told her they would pull the black box out of the car as part of their investigation.
Over the summer, Bowling, who had been crowned Miss California Regency International 2026 and lived on her own in Oakland, completed a virtual pre-law program at Harvard University.
“It was a short term program, but it was intense,” Markham says.
She was scheduled to complete her final semester at California State University, East Bay, in December and relinquish her crown in February. She had aspirations of becoming a lawyer.
A former foster child, Bowling is a children’s advocate. Just before she was struck last month, she told Markham of her plans to collect backpacks and other school supplies for children in need ahead of the new school year.
Markham has launched a GoFundMe to assist with Bowling’s medical expenses and ongoing treatment.
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