IU graduate Whitney King still recovering from July car crash

“I can do it myself, Daddy!” 

These words from many years ago replay vividly in Michael King’s head as he assesses his daughter’s current recovery at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana.

Since childhood, 2009 IU graduate Whitney King has been strong, driven and self-motivated, Michael King said.

Years later, little has changed as the 22-year-old battles injuries incurred more than a month ago during a life-altering car accident.

Road to recovery

On the morning of July 30, Whitney King was on her way to work at Eagle Pointe Golf Resort in Bloomington when she lost control of her car and hit a telephone pole. Heavy rain at the time of the accident made Fairfax Road especially hazardous.

She suffered a broken pelvis, broken jaw and severe head trauma. She was unresponsive and went into a coma.

In six weeks, Whitney King has made considerable advances in her recovery, Michael King said. He defined her progress as steady, yet carefully monitored. 

“She’s doing well for a brain-injured patient,” Michael King said. “Whitney is progressing quickly, but we know so little about the brain and how it heals itself. She could plateau at any point.”

Doctors have said that much of Whitney Kings’s success can be credited to her active, healthy lifestyle, Michael King said.

While at IU, she danced with IU Essence and taught several aerobics classes through the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation and the Student Recreational Sports Center.

Currently, doctors and family remain hopeful that Whitney King will have a complete recovery, though her rehabilitation will likely take up to 18 more months, Michael King said.

Because of her pelvic injury, she will not be able to bear any weight or walk for three to four months after her release.

Strong turnout at golf benefit

Whitney’s friends and colleagues at Eagle Pointe, where she worked for more than two years, organized a fundraiser Sunday in her honor.

The Whitney King Golf Scramble and Charity Event began at 7:30 a.m. with the first round of golfers and continued with the second round at noon. The additional round was added because of strong interest in the event.

Jacob King, the assistant general manager of Eagle Pointe, came up with the idea for the fundraiser. Jacob King is of no relation to Whitney King, but he said she is like family.

“She’s been like a sister to us around here,” Jacob King said. “She’s absolutely one of those people who walks in the room and is bright, sunny and energetic. She has touched a lot of people’s lives around here. We wanted to do something.”

Aside from golf, the event included a cookout, access to the pool, cornhole, live music by Jeff Day, a raffle and a silent auction, Jacob King said. It cost $50 to golf, but anyone could attend the other activities for $15 at the door.

More than 200 golfers attended the event and as many as 300 other guests were present, Jacob King said. He said it was the largest gathering Eagle Pointe has had all year.

“People did anything and everything they could to get here. That’s obvious,” Jacob King said. “This phenomenal response is because of her and how she has touched other peoples’ lives. This event is really a tribute to that.”

Eagle Pointe will donate 15 percent of Sunday’s sales as well as 50 percent of the golf fees to Whitney King’s recovery. 

Procedures, tests and treatments as part of an extended hospital stay will leave Whitney King and her family with astronomical medical bills, Jacob King said.

He and the other event planners hope to alleviate some of this burden. 

“Whitney is going to have these medical costs, and it’s so comforting to know she will have more help,” Michael King said. 

He went on to confirm that Whitney King plans to use her degree in broadcast journalism to pursue a career in sports journalism as soon as her rehabilitation is complete.

Whitney’s IU legacy

At IU, Whitney King was an active member of Kappa Alpha Theta. The entire house was present at the event, said Katie Bates, a sorority sister who helped plan the fundraiser. 

Kappa Alpha Theta, along with much of the Bloomington community, has done a lot to help Whitney King and her family. 

“Theta provided meals and hotel rooms for her family, and girls from the house have been carpooling to Indy every week to visit,” Bates said.

Whitney King’s best friend, Katy Wolff, said she spends four days every week at the
hospital with Whitney King since she moved to Indianapolis. Michael King describes Wolff as his adopted daughter, and said that the response has been tremendous.

“It’s been overwhelming,” he said. “I don’t mean to be trite, but it has kind of restored my faith in humanity. Whitney’s Web site has gotten thousands of hits, and the turnout today has been over-the-top.”

As a result of the success of the event, Michael King and Jacob King hope to make the scramble an annual event to fund an IU scholarship in Whitney King’s name.

“Maybe the scholarship will go to a journalism student who has had a setback like Whitney,” Michael King said.

Jacob King expects the event to grow every year, especially once Whitney King recovers and is able to attend.

Michael King said he thinks that if anyone can come back, it’s his daughter, the same girl that used to yell “I can do it myself, Daddy!”

“I know Whitney is going to do her damndest to fight this,” he said. “If anyone can do it, it’s her.”