JOHNSTON COUNTY - Kayla Lanich, a student at Middle College High School, was upgraded from critical to stable condition last week as she recovered from injuries sustained in a head-on collision Sept. 28.

"I know she's not out of the woods now with some of the injuries, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel," said Brian Lanich, 44, the 17-year-old's father.

The condition of the other driver, Adolfo Lugo, 54, of Wilson, is unknown. The Highway Patrol has not yet filed an official report, and it is still unclear if Lugo was taken to a hospital. The responding patrol officer had not finished the report before press time because his wife has a serious health problem.

Although early news reports said Lugo was hospitalized, neither WakeMed in Raleigh nor Johnston Medical Center in Smithfield reported having a patient of that name soon after the accident. It is possible he checked into a hospital anonymously.

According to a rough Highway Patrol report, Lanich and Lugo's vehicles collided when Lanich's 1988 Isuzu crossed the centerline of Lowell Mill Road near Kenly. Lanich, who had been driving on her own for about five months, was on her way to a babysitting job.

"She always seemed to do fine," her father said. "I never questioned her abilities or capabilities as a driver."

The Lanichs found out about the accident when a family friend turned up on their doorstep; their landline was down, and their home doesn't get cell phone service.

Lanich has been at WakeMed in Raleigh since the accident and has already undergone some surgery. Her father declined to talk about her injuries, but said she might soon be moved to a rehabilitation clinic, he said.

At the hospital, Kayla Lanich has been talkative, her father said. "Oh, big talker," he said. She has been telling everyone who comes by her bed about her plans to go into criminal justice.

"That's news to me," Brian Lanich said with a laugh. He said his daughter, who recently transferred from North Johnston High School, is a focused, driven student with a magnetic persona.

"She gets a little bit of her dad's 'Type A' personality," he said. "She lays it out there in the beginning."

Lanich plans to attend Barton College after doing some courses at Johnston Community College. She is an avid artist and was in a sports-marketing club at NJHS. Besides babysitting, she works as a waitress at Bob Evans.

The young woman's time in the hospital has been a trial for the family. Her younger sister, who will soon turn 13, has been unable to visit her because of flu-prevention rules at the hospital.

"You run through the seven steps constantly," said Brian Lanich, an accountant and former pastor. "Every emotion in your body and your mind is just gone through; anger, dread, the whole thing, the whole gamut of emotions at play."

The family is relieved to see Kayla out of critical condition, but a long and hard road to recovery awaits. No surgeries were scheduled for the immediate future, but Brian Lanich said doctors expect Kayla's recovery to take at least a year.

"The medical bills are going to be astronomical," he said wearily.

His employer, a Raleigh-based company, has been incredibly accomodating, he said. But his wife, Kim, lost her new job in the wake of the accident, he said.

Kim Lanich, a former Johnston Health employee, started a new job as an office manager at a doctor's office the day of the crash. The doctor told her she could return when Kayla stabilized, but Brian Lannich said the doctor filled the position again soon after.

But above all, the Lanichs say they are thankful -- for the work of the emergency responders, for Kayla's recovery, for the prayers of the community.

"I think she is where she is now because of the amount of prayer that has gone up for her, and intervention on God's behalf," Brian Lannich said.

If you have information about Adolfo Lugo or wish to speak to Brian Lanich, please contact The Herald.