ATHLETE CLINGS TO LIFE AFTER DRIVER RUINS HER DREAM.Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer PACOIMA - Nayely Jimenez was supposed to spend Tuesday on the basketball court in her first official practice with the Moorpark College Moorpark College is a California-state funded community college located on a 134 acre (542,000 m²) property reclining on a hill in Moorpark, a town in Ventura County, California. team. Instead, the 18-year-old was fighting for her life after being critically injured the night before by a car that police said was driven by a drunk motorist with a suspended license. ``I had just gotten done telling her how proud I was of her, that she could succeed despite us not being able to afford much,'' said her father, Cornelio Jimenez Sr., who was holding vigil with other family members at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Providence Holy Cross Medical Center is a hospital in Mission Hills, California, USA. The hospital has 254 beds, and is part of Providence Health & Services. History in Mission Hills. ``She's the love of my life.'' Jimenez was driving home Monday from a weekend visit with her sister in Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. . Police said she was turning left at Laurel Canyon Boulevard Laurel Canyon Boulevard is a major street in the city of Los Angeles, California. It starts off at Polk Street in Sylmar in the northern San Fernando Valley near the junction of the San Diego (Interstate 405) and the Golden State Freeways (Interstate 5). onto Pierce Street at 5 p.m. Monday when a blue Ford Taurus Not to be confused with Ford Taunus. The Ford Taurus is currently a full-size, front-wheel drive or all wheel drive automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in North America. ran a red light and smashed into her car. The driver of that car, Miguel Ayon, 22, jumped out of his car and ran, tossing his car keys into a nearby yard, police said. He was stopped by witnesses who held him until police arrived. A field sobriety test measured Ayon's blood-alcohol content at 0.27 percent, more than three times the legal limit, police said. He was being held at the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Jail on suspicion of felony drunken driving causing great bodily injury. His bail was set at $50,000. Officers said Ayon was driving on a suspended license, and that they were investigating his prior record. ``A young lady's life is forever changed Forever Changed was a Christian Rock band from Tallahassee and Orlando, FL. They came together in 1999 and broke up in 2006. Dan Cole was the lead singer, a guitarist, and a pianist. Ben O'Rear was the lead guitarist, Tom Gustafson played bass, and Nathan Lee played the drums. - if, indeed, she gets to continue to live,'' said Capt. Greg Meyer Greg Meyer is best known for his accomplishments in distance running. Most notably, he is the last American male to win the Boston Marathon. Education He attended Touro Law School for only two semesters. , who commands the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division. ``We need people to take their responsibility seriously when they get behind the wheel. If you drink, you shouldn't be driving.'' Jimenez, who was studying to be a nurse, suffered skull fractures and had underwent surgery to relieve brain pressure. Family members were optimistic she would recover. They say she has opened her eyes and has moved an arm. ``It's hard to see her lying there, but we have faith,'' said Jimenez's 17-year-old brother, Cornelio Jr., who followed his sister into basketball at Reseda High and who wears her No. 25 high school jersey. Family and friends - including current and former teammates and coaches - converged on the hospital Tuesday, offering hugs and warm support. ``I hope to see her flash her beautiful smile and hear her laugh again soon,'' said her Reseda coach, Mike Wagner Michael Robert Wagner (born June 22, 1949 in Waukegan, Illinois) is a former American football player. He played at safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League from 1971 to 1980. , who now coaches her brother on the boys' team. ``I don't think we're in danger of losing her.'' Coaches never had to question whether Jimenez had given 100 percent as a Reseda High School Reseda High School, established in 1955, is located in the Reseda section of Los Angeles, California, United States. The current principal of Reseda High is Alfredo Tarin. The mascot of Reseda High is the Regent, a lion welding a crown and a scepter. basketball forward - a four-year varsity player. Coaches just counted on Jimenez, a 5-foot-8 standout, to score up to 13 points and grab 11 rebounds a game, Wagner said. She was courted early on by the Moorpark College women's basketball Women's basketball is one of the few games which developed in tandem with men's. It became popular, spreading from the east coast of the United States to the west coast, in large part via women's colleges. team, and she is listed as a top recruit on the school's Web site. All 14 members of her current team were allowed into her room Tuesday, despite a hospital rule that only two people are allowed in at a time. ``They let the girls in because they were such a big part of her life,'' said her Moorpark coach, Sherry Ruter, who canceled practice Tuesday so the team could visit Jimenez. ``We're going to take pictures, make a poster, and the nurses suggested we decorate her room. Believe me, we'll decorate.'' The team will put her college jersey - No. 23 - on the bench at the team's first game Nov. 8. ``Hopefully she'll be with us - at least in spirit if not in person,'' Ruter said. ``If not, her uniform will always be there.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Cornelio Jimenez Jr. holds a photo of his sister Nayely, 18, a four-year Reseda High basketball star expected to play for Moorpark College this season, as he and his father, Cornelio Sr., keep vigil Tuesday after she was critically injured by a driver whose blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit, police said. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
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