HOUSTON -- A Houston woman was one of the 35 people injured when a car plowed into a group of people, killing one, at a white nationalists rally on Saturday.
Natalie Romero, 20, is currently recovering in a hospital in Virginia. She suffered a small skull fracture and multiple injuries to her face.
Her mother, Erica Chaves, says she has talked to her daughter over the phone since Saturday's attack.
Natalie texted her mom Saturday morning and told her she would be attending the white nationalist rally to stand up again racism.
#NatalieRomero texted mom Sat, alerting to protest in #Charlottesville. Hrs later, Romeo hospitalized. She's a 2016 @HoustonISD grad #KHOU11 pic.twitter.com/uLCSqg5qPC
— Melissa Correa (@MCorreaKHOU) August 13, 2017
KHOU 11 spoke to Natalie on the phone on Sunday. She told us she was hit by the car that drove into the crowd of people.
She said she isn't sure if she will be physically able to attend the first day of classes when they start later this month.
"A lot of back pain and neck pain. Just a lot of bruises. I think when fell, I bit my lip. And so my lip is really busted and my face looks pretty horrible right now." said Natalie of her injuries.
Her mother has started a GoFundMe account to raise money that will be used to cover her daughter's medical expenses.
Natalie graduated from Houston ISD's Bellaire High School in 2016. She was active in the schools JROTC program.
Chaves says her daughter is the first in her family to attend college and is currently on a full scholarship at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
"I always told her, I know I cannot pay for college, so you need to study hard so you can get good grades and get a scholarship... and she’s helping me out. Whenever I need money, she’s the one sending me. She’s not asking me for money." said Erica.
Her family immigrated from Colombia before Natalie was born in the U.S.
#NatalieRomero was part of @HoustonISD #JROTC program. She told me she went to protest to speak up for minorities, immigrants. #khou11 pic.twitter.com/d0rD947hRv
— Melissa Correa (@MCorreaKHOU) August 13, 2017