listen live watch live

UND women’s hockey player Lisa Marvin is facing a long road to recovery and is “really, really, really lucky to be alive,” after being hit by a car Monday, her father, David Marvin, said.

The accident happened at about 1:20 p.m. Monday. Marvin’s pickup ran out of gas on Gateway Drive, and she was filling it up when a 1999 Chevy Cavalier hit her pickup from behind. Marvin, 20, was flung into the air and landed on the pavement, suffering extensive damage to her right arm and right knee.

Marvin’s arm was shattered between her elbow and shoulder. The bone went through her skin, leaving “a big hole, almost the size of a pop can,” David said. About three inches of the bone was taken out.

On Monday night, doctors at Altru performed surgery for more than three hours on her arm, inserting two plates, one of them about 6 inches long. There’s an area between the plates where Marvin needs the bone to rejuvenate, David said. If it doesn’t, Lisa will need bone grafts off of her hips.

Marvin also sustained nerve damage to her arm and cannot straighten or close her fingers on her right hand at the moment.

Her right knee also needs major reconstructive surgery, David said.

Lisa will have a second surgery this morning to remove antibiotic beads, used to fight infections.

“It’s going to take a lot of hard work on her part if life can be normal again,” David said. “She’s going to have a ton of doctor appointments, check-ups and X-rays. It’s going to be a very, very long road of rehab in front of her. At the moment, she’s extremely uncomfortable, even with the (painkillers). Her best time is when her teammates come and visit her. That takes her mind off the pain.”

On Wednesday night, Lisa’s sister, Layla, and teammates Tori Williams and Meghan Dufault helped wash the gasoline and blood out of her hair.

“She’s got a lot of good buddies on that team that are pretty close,” David said.

The driver of the red Cavalier, 18-year-old Tristan Johnson of Arvilla, N.D., was charged with aggravated reckless driving, a Class A misdemeanor. Another driver, 18-year-old Gannon Miller of Cummings, N.D., was charged with racing, said Lt. Mike Ferguson of the Grand Forks Police Department. Miller was driving a 2007 Buick passenger car.

David said it’s possible that Lisa could leave the hospital sometime this weekend.

“We’re trying to figure out all the special needs she’s going to need when she leaves the hospital,” he said. “She can’t walk and she can’t use crutches. There are so many simple things that you don’t even think about, like sending a text or brushing your teeth.

“We’re blessed that she’s alive with what she went through. It’s a miracle that she didn’t get hurt worse.”