CHARLESTON COUNTY, SC (WCSC) -
Katie Arrington is out of the ICU following a wrong way accident on Highway 17.
A spokesperson for Arrington says she was moved out of ICU Wednesday night, and her physical therapy sessions are progressing everyday.
Katie’s physical therapy session today went extremely well and was twice as long as yesterday’s session. Katie knows these sessions are important steps toward her return to serving and fighting for South Carolina’s Lowcountry.
Arrington and her friend Jaqueline Goff were in a car traveling on Highway 17 Friday night when another car crashed head on into them.
The driver of the other car that crashed into them, 69-year-old Helen White, was killed.
Both Arrington and Goff were transported to MUSC with serious injuries at the time of the incident.
"Katie sustained a fracture in her back and several broken ribs, as well as injuries that required Katie to undergo major surgery including the removal of a portion of her small intestine and a portion of her colon," Mulé said in a statement Saturday evening.
Arrington had two major surgeries Sunday, he said. The first procedure was to complement the initial surgery performed Friday night on her abdomen. The second surgery was for the spinal fracture.
Arrington was taken off a ventilator Monday morning. A CT scan that morning revealed she had an ankle fracture. Arrington began physical therapy Tuesday night, then underwent surgery Wednesday to address the ankle fracture, he said.
At a news conference from MUSC on Monday, doctors provided more details on the nature of their injuries.
"The remarkable part of this case is that neither one of the women suffered a traumatic brain injury, that is a huge win," Dr. Edward Erickson said. "The fact that they don't have a traumatic brain injury is amazing."
Both underwent additional spine surgeries on Sunday, but Goff's injuries will likely take longer to heal. Erickson said Goff will require multiple more trips to the operating room to address a massive soft tissue injury. Goff also has a broken nose, a broken rib, a colon injury, arterial injuries, a broken neck, as well as a broken foot and ankle.
At the news conference earlier this week, Arrington campaign manager Michael Mule said that while Arrington recovers, Republican Sen. Tim Scott will fill in on scheduled campaign stops for her. Scott said several other congressmen have reached out offering to do the same.
It is not yet clear when Arrington herself will be able to return to active campaigning, but doctors expect her to make a full recovery.
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