An Oakland woman is facing a lifelong recovery after she was critically injured in a crash involving two young children driving their parents’ car. Kiara Bowling, in her 30s, was walking a friend’s dog in the crosswalk at 35th and Mangels avenues in East Oakland on the morning of August 6, 2026, when the vehicle, allegedly taken by a 6-year-old boy while his parents slept, struck another car and then hit her before crashing into a residential fence. Bowling suffered a traumatic brain injury and facial fractures and was found without a pulse at the scene; bystanders performed CPR until paramedics arrived. The two young children in the car were also taken to the hospital and are expected to recover. A month later, her family says she has begun taking her first steps as she relearns to walk, speak and eat on her own.

According to ABC7 Bay Area, Oakland police confirmed the boys’ parents were contacted and are cooperating with the investigation, though it remains unclear how the children obtained the car keys. The outlet reports that criminal charges against the children are unlikely given their ages, while civil liability for the parents remains possible. Oakland police say the crash remains under investigation and are asking anyone with information to come forward. Bowling’s family, who were initially told she might not survive, are calling her recovery a “walking miracle” as she continues months of rehabilitation.