Young Woman Suffers From Brain Injuries After Alleged DUI Crash

REDONDO BEACH, CA – A young woman from San Pedro is suffering from serious brain injuries in the intensive care unit after the car she was was hit by a driver allegedly under the influence. Ashley Elizabeth Murray, 21, remains unconscious at County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center five days after a Carson man ran a red light in Redondo Beach and smashed into the Uber car she was riding home in, according to The Mercury News.

Murray's friend Blake Reeves, as identified in a court document, suffered internal and facial injuries and remains hospitalized, The Mercury News reported. The unidentified Uber driver complained of pain but wasn't seriously injured. The suspected drunk driver, Jossy Patrick Avalos, 24, suffered a sore wrist in the Dec. 22 crash, authorities said.

“We’re doing a lot of talking to her, doing a lot of praying and we are playing music to her,” Patrick Garcia, Murray's friend, told Mercury News. “We know how strong she is, and the doctors say the biggest thing she has going for her is her youth.”

Avalos pleaded not guilty Wednesday to felony counts of driving under the influence causing great bodily injury, and driving with a blood-alcohol level at or above the legal limit of 0.08 and causing great bodily injury. He also was charged with a misdemeanor count of hit-and-run causing property damage, according to Mercury News.

Avalos is held in county jail on $250,000 bail and scheduled to return to court on Jan. 11.

Jenna Clarke, a friend of Murray, created a GoFundMe page on Christmas Eve to help minimize the stress, anxiety, and financial burden on Murray's family during the holiday season. Murray has had multiple surgeries in hopes to minimize lasting brain damage, Clarke wrote, and the length of her stay in the ICU is unknown.

"She is a bright and positive person, beautiful inside and out," Clarke wrote about Murray. "Her infectious laugh, smile and goofy personality charmed everyone she encountered."

Murray was set to graduate from the University of Arizona in June 2018, and was planning on attending nursing school to become a NICU nurse. She's a member of Pi Beta Phi Sorority, and is loved by so many, Clarke wrote.

Photo via GoFundMe