FIGHTING SPIRIT HELPS INJURED STUDENT GET BACK IN THE RACE WOMAN, 21, SET FOR ANNUAL 5K RUN AFTER JANUARY COLLISION, OPERATION.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

NEWHALL - When he saw his daughter's feet in motion under a sheet - almost as if she were running - as she was wheeled out of surgery, Barry Truex knew she'd be back on the road in no time.

Truex's youngest daughter, Barrie, 21, has run beside him in the Independence Day Classic since she was 7 years old. But a horrific crash in January could have changed all that.

Coming home from a friend's house at 5:30 a.m., Barrie fell asleep at the wheel on Whites Canyon Road, crashing into a cement wall at Ashboro Drive. Barrie's neck broke in three places, along with her clavicle and scapula. A brain hemorrhage made survival an iffy proposition.

``They couldn't tell me whether she would make it when I got to the emergency room,'' her father said. ``I had to prepare myself for the worst.''

A neurosurgeon immediately operated on the young woman to repair damage and relieve swelling on the brain. Visiting the family after the surgery, the doctor gave them a thumbs-up sign, but they were already encouraged by her moving feet.

``I knew she was a fighter,'' said her sister, Kim, who is Barrie's driver and biggest fan. ``She took out her own trachea tube because she didn't want it in there. I told the nurse when I went down to the cafeteria that she didn't like it and would take it out. She didn't believe me. It was out by the time we got back and she was talking.''

To assess Barrie's brain function, Kim immediately quizzed her, asking her to name her nieces and nephews. When she whispered them in rapid succession, Kim breathed a sigh of relief.

So it's no surprise to the family that Barrie won't be missing a year, running with her 70-year-old father and 10-year-old nephew in the 3.1-mile race on the Fourth of July - a race her father has run since before she was born.

``I've been running at the gym,'' she said softly, brushing aside the hair extensions that cover a large horseshoe-shape scar on her head. ``I think being in shape before the accident helped my recovery. And I've been doing the treadmill at physical therapy, so I think I'm ready.''

``What's easy for her is impossible for some of the others,'' her father said proudly.

Barrie recently completed a rigorous regimen of physical therapy that involved speech, physical and recreational therapy five days a week at Northridge Hospital Medical Center. She still doesn't drive; although she doesn't remember the impact, she is still afraid to get behind the wheel and doctors warn that trying to drive too soon could bring on panic attacks. She also needs time for her peripheral vision to return to normal.

Barry and daughter Barrie took their first tentative run near Newhall Ranch Road in May.

``My knees and arms hurt, but I was able to do two miles running and walking,'' she said.

Before the crash, Barrie had run as far as 15 miles, competing in the Bowl to Beach cross-country run for Canyon High School. A student at College of the Canyons, she originally hoped to study nursing and specialize in pediatrics, but her experience changed that a bit.

``I want to get into children's physical therapy,'' she said. ``At the hospital, I got some hands-on work and (it) made me realize that's what I want to do.''

The crash also gave Barrie a chance to reflect on how driven she had become after high school and to slow down her day-to-day pace.

``My priorities are different now,'' she explained. ``I think before I was going too fast, working full time and going to school full time. Now I take each day at a time and I realize who my real friends are.''

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Independence Day Classic 5K Run; Benefiting cross-country programs at Santa Clarita Valley high schools

WHEN: July Fourth; registration will open at 6:30 a.m.

WHERE: Race starts and ends at Newhall Memorial Park, corner of Newhall Avenue and Dalbey Drive in downtown Newhall.

INFORMATION: [phone], www.scrunners.org

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

(color) Barrie Truex, 21, stands with dad Barry. She was hurt in January after falling asleep at the wheel and hitting a wall on the way home from a friend's house.

David Crane/Staff Photographer

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IF YOU GO (see text)