WASHINGTON — Although 19-year-old Ashley Allison of Washington gingerly hobbles around on a cane these days, she realizes she’s lucky to be able to do so.

Ashley, the daughter of John and Kim Allison, was in a single-vehicle crash Aug. 16 and was ejected from her grandmother’s Chrysler Town & Country van, which she was driving while her 1990 Mustang convertible was in the shop. Her injuries included a broken hip, pelvis, shoulder and nose, smoke inhalation damage to her lungs from the burning vehicle, a mild concussion, bruising, and cuts on her elbow, nose, above her eye and the back of her ear.

From the crash scene on CR 100S, near CR 1100E, Southwest Medical transported Ashley to Daviess Community Hospital. She was then flown by Air Evac to St. Mary’s Hospital in Evansville, where she spent six days being treated for her injuries.

“She was using a wheelchair and a walker when she got out,” Kim Allison said. “She started using a cane the 16th (of September). The doctor cleared her on the 14th to use the cane.”

Kim said Ashley had no internal injuries, but bits and pieces of memory are missing, so she’s doing therapy for that.

“With time they said that’ll come back,” Kim explained. “She has to do brain teasers to help recall lost memories.”

The accident could’ve had a much worse ending, according to Kim, if not for a “guardian angel” who pulled Ashley away from the van before it burst into flames.

When the accident occurred, the 2011 Washington High School graduate who’s going to college to be a child advocate lawyer, was traveling east on CR 100S around 2:41 p.m.

“There was a little kid in the road that had a kitty,” she said. “I swerved to miss him, went back into the other lane and crashed.”

Kim said the police told them it looked like the van rolled three or four times and hit a telephone pole before landing in a cornfield. The petite teenager was wearing her seat belt, but when the air bag deployed the seat belt broke, allowing her to be propelled through the windshield.

“It shoved her back with such force it broke the seat back and in turn broke the seat belt,” Kim explained.

She said Ashley was laying approximately 15 feet from the van after it came to rest. Amos Graber was driving by, she continued, saw the smoking van and stopped to help. She said he circled the van several times looking for people and finally heard Ashley moaning. He followed the moan, according to Kim, and pulled Ashley farther from the van, laying her in a ditch. Just as Graber got her to the ditch, Kim said, the van caught fire.

“He went to see Ashley afterward,” she said. “He didn’t want a big deal made of it because he said anyone would’ve done it, but not anybody would. Several people drove by that day and didn’t stop to help. I told him I thought he was a hero.

“I think Mr. Graber needs to be recognized for everything he’s done. Not everybody would walk up to a burning vehicle and pull someone out. He’s definitely a guardian angel for my daughter, a hero among men.”

Daviess County Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Heshelman, the first law enforcement officer on the scene, said the van was fully engulfed when he arrived, and Montgomery/Cannelburg firefighters were already there. Their rescue personnel were working with Ashley, he said, and Southwest Medical arrived shortly after that.

“I think, from what was going on when I got on the scene, she would’ve been severely burned had the individual not taken the initiative to find her,” Heshelman said, explaining Ashley was found about two corn rows from the vehicle, and an area six rows wide around the van was burned. “There’s a good possibility there would’ve been more severe injury to Ashley if he hadn’t found her.”

The deputy added that the quick response of emergency personnel and the excellent working relationship among first-response agencies ensured Ashley got immediate care and the scene was quickly under control.

“Everyone did their jobs,” he said. “It makes it easier on a scene like that.”

The Allison family is thankful for everyone who has supported Ashley in the aftermath of the accident. Kim’s sister, Lisa Kaiser, works at DCH and called to tell Kim about the accident. She held Ashley’s hand while she was being stabilized there. Ashley’s siblings, Wesley, 18; Destiny, 16; and Holly, 14, went to St. Mary’s, Kim said, and didn’t leave her side. Like their big sister, Wesley and Destiny work at Washington Arby’s; Kim said every time they get a paycheck they buy something for Ashley.

“Holly plays mother hen and helps her with stuff at home,” Kim said. “I’ve got a good bunch of kids. They pulled together and help out.”

Friends of Ashley’s grandmother, Sue Allison, whose van she was driving, sent Ashley cards, and the teen was on numerous church prayer lists.

“Ashley’s boss is good, too,” Kim said. “He’s holding her job for her.”

Ty Walker, general manager at Arby’s, said he was worried about Ashley, but also concerned about running the restaurant without one of his best shift managers.

“My whole world crashed,” he said. “She just got promoted the week before (the wreck) and is the foundation of my rebuild here.”

Walker said Ashley and the other shift managers are friends and work well together. He’s looking forward to having her back on the job. And Ashley looks forward to getting back to work with her friends in just under a month, when she hopes the doctor will release her.

“He told me I’m healing beautifully,” Ashley said proudly.