A 20-year-old Sophomore from the University of Virginia is currently recovering a hospital after being struck by a car that rammed into a crowd of protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday. Natalie Romero, 20, suffered a small skull fracture and numerous injuries to her face.
Romero attended a counter-protest on Saturday, as she marched against white nationalist protesters who were upset over the city’s removal of a Robert E. Lee statue. Well, the statue didn’t get removed, but many counter-protesters were unearthed by a speeding gray 2010 Dodge Challenger. Romero told KHOU11 that she was physically hit by this car allegedly driven by murder suspect James Alex Fields, Jr.
The University of Virginia sophomore doesn’t know if she’ll be physically able to the first day of classes later this month as a result of her injuries. “A lot of back pain and neck pain. Just a lot of bruises. I think when fell, I bit my lip,” said Romero. “And so my lip is really busted and my face looks pretty horrible right now,’ she said.
As a direct result of Natalie’s injuries, her mom decided to set up a GoFundMe page for her hurt daughter. The money is said to be used for Romero’s medical bills.
“At a counter-protest, a 20 year old (my daughter) was one of the people who got hit by a car,’ wrote Ericka Chaves, Natalie’s mother. “She’s in the hospital and we really will appreciate [sic] any help for the hospitals experiences [sic]. Thank you and God bless you.”
So far, Natalie Romero’s GoFundMe has reached well over $31,000. A total of $50,000 is the current goal.
In 2016, Romero graduated from Houston’s Bellaire High School. During her time in that school, she was active in the JROTC program.
Chaves says that her daughter is the first person in her family to attend college. Since she didn’t have much money, Romero had to earn her way to college via good grades leading to scholarships. She is currently on a full scholarship at the University of Virginia.
“I always told her, I know I cannot pay for college, so you need to study hard so you can get good grades and get a scholarship…and she’s helping me out,” Chaves told KHOU11. ‘Whenever I need money, she’s the one sending me. She’s not asking me for money.”
Only one person died during Saturday’s attack. Heather Heyer, 32, of Virginia, passed away after being struck by a car allegedly driven James Alex Fields, Jr.
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