Ava and Amy Jones detail rehab, surgery and loss as they head home to Kansas

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The week of July 5 forever changed the lives of the Jones family.

That Sunday, 17-year-old Ava Jones committed to play Division I basketball at the University of Iowa. Two days later, Ava, her younger brother, Creek, and their parents, Trey and Amy, traveled to Louisville for her basketball tournament. 

While walking on a sidewalk at the intersection of South 2nd Street and West Market Street in downtown Louisville, the four were hit by a car. The driver, 33-year-old Michael Hurley, was arrested. According to police, he told officers he had taken hydrocodone and was "so tired he could not make the turn."

All four were rushed to the hospital. Creek, 10, was released with just a few bumps and scrapes but the other three suffered serious injuries. Ava, Amy and Trey endured multiple surgeries and battled for their lives in the ICU, the girls suffering from serious head trauma and multiple broken bones.

And on July 8, Trey passed away. Amy and Ava Jones awoke from comas only to learn about the loss of their husband and father. Trey's eldest son, 21-year-old Hunter, said the family found comfort in knowing Trey was an organ donor and that he would help save other lives.

A cross with an image of track shoes and angel wings now hangs at the intersection where the family was hit in remembrance of Trey.

Returning Home

When Amy and Ava first sat down with WDRB News for an interview in early August, they said it wouldn't fully sink in that Trey was gone until they returned home to Kansas. 

That return came Aug. 18. They said they had been told about their discharge date and time less than 24 hours before, and while they were excited, they were also nervous. 

"I'm looking forward to seeing my brothers and then my friends and my family again," Ava Jones said. "It's been a month. It's been a long time. I'm a little nervous to get home, but seeing my friends and family, that's exciting."

"We had so many people tending to us, and, when I get home, I don't know what's going to happen and who is really going to take care of us," Amy Jones added.

The pair was originally expecting to be discharged earlier in the week but had to postpone because Amy needed additional surgeries to help her leg heal properly and address an infection.

While her mother was moved back to University of Louisville Hospital for surgery, Ava continued her therapy nearby at the Frazier Rehab Institute. Bruises cover her limbs, but she is now able to walk mostly on her own and said she no longer needs her physical therapist to guide her.

"I can walk without her holding me with a walker," Ava Jones said. "My right knee is still not the best, and my right arm is still not the best."

She no longer wears a brace on her right arm but said she's battling a tremor in her hand.

"It's just hard to stop it moving," she said. "Like, it moves all the time."

Ava's voice is also improving. She said it doesn't hurt to talk but she still struggles with finding words and forming sentences at times. 

"It's not like it was back then, but it's stronger than it was," she said.

Amy Jones said her daughter isn't supposed to go back to school for at least six weeks. And that senior year won't be the one she'd long looked forward to. But a few weeks ago, Iowa told Ava the program would still honor her basketball scholarship regardless of if she is able to be on the court. 

"It just made me feel awesome," Ava Jones said. "They're just so nice. I didn't mean for this to happen, obviously. The coaches talk to me a lot, call me, Facetime me. I am excited about Iowa. I'm glad I committed there."

Amy Jones said she's working toward returning to school herself this fall. She is the assistant superintendent of the Nickerson-South Hutchinson USD 309 school district. She said she misses being around her students. 

"I hope October 1, but I'll have to work hard," she said. 

In order to achieve their short-term and long-term goals, the two said they will have to travel to Wichita multiple times a week for therapy. The drive is about an hour each way from their home in Nickerson.

"The doctors here and nurses have worked with the nurses and doctors in Wichita so it's a smooth transition for occupational and physical therapy," Amy Jones said. "I'll get to do that like four times a week."

In order to make it home, the two took an air ambulance service, which allowed for Amy to remain laying down on a stretcher and bed throughout the trip. An ambulance took her on a stretcher to the airport, while Ava and her grandmother Mary followed behind in a car. All three then flew to Kansas together. 

A few weeks prior, Hunter and Creek headed home to prepare for Ava and Amy's arrival. Creek also had his first day of fifth grade.

Before they left UofL, Amy and Ava said goodbye to multiple people who worked to save their lives and aid their recovery journey. 

"The doctors, nurses, all the hospital staff have been so attentive and caring and kind," Amy Jones said. "They've just bent over backward to make sure that we've been taken care of and are progressing."

"I'd just like to say thank you, like my mom, to everybody," Ava Jones added. "My therapists and my nurses where I was ... just thank you to everybody."

Amy said the journey went well and they arrived home around 10 p.m. Thursday. She then posted a picture onto Facebook the following day, showing her and all three children reunited on their couch.

The family's medical expenses continue to rise and their journey to recovery will be long. To help them financially, click here to reach the Jones Family GoFundMe Page.

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