Louisville woman and her mother adapt to new reality after being hit by juvenile girl driving stolen van

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville mother and her daughter are dealing with broken bones and a partial amputation after they were hit by a young girl driving a stolen car.

In an instant, everything can change. That's what happened to Kelia Thompson and her mom, Kristin Kirchhubel, who shared their story on Wednesday from their shared hospital room.

"It's gonna be hard, for real," said Thompson.

An afternoon walk home from the store on Friday, May 10, changed Thompson and her mother's lives forever.

They were walking near 20th and Madison in the city's Russell neighborhood when a van came speeding in their direction.

"The car's just swerving, just swerving," Thompson said. "In a split moment to where it was like, is that coming toward us?"

Louisville Metro Police said the van, which was stolen earlier in the day, was being driven by a juvenile girl who Thompson and Kirchhubel believe wasn't old enough to drive.

The van, police said, was going so fast out of an alley that she lost control, jumped the curb and hit the women.

Charges are now expected to be filed.

"Stop playing with people's lives, cause like you just changed two people's lives forever. Forever," Thompson said. "It's not funny. It's not fun. Y'all might think it is, but it's not cause we just got messed up for life. I need y'all to think."

When describing her injuries, Kirchhubel said everything on the left side of her body is broken.

At 21 years old, Thompson was an avid dancer. Now, their walks to the store are going to be different. The impact of the van was so strong, her left leg had to be amputated from just below her knee.

"It's gonna take a long time to even get back right. I'm so weak in the legs right now. This leg's weak, everything," she said. "But I am multi-talented. I can do different talents without having to move, dance and shake, you know? I'm gonna figure it out. I'm gonna figure it out and I'll be fine."

The past week and-a-half has been a rollercoaster for the mother and daughter. But all the while, they're staying positive and say they'll be back. It'll just be different.

"Even if I can't dance the same again, I'm still gonna do it. Still gonna do it. It makes me happy," said Thompson. "It sucks that I'm probably not gonna be able to move the same, but it made me really happy."

The pair thinking about what could have been, and how their lives are changed forever.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Thompson and Kirchhubel. To donate, click here.

LMPD's Traffic Unit is still investigating. The juvenile girl who was driving the van was detained. Police said the Traffic Unit is in contact with the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office about possible charges.