POWHATAN, VA. (WRIC) -- The mother of a 20-year-old nursing student whose life was forever changed is sharing her story after a driver left her for dead following a single-car crash in Powhatan on Nov. 17, 2024. It's important to note, everyone made it out of the crash alive, but Kesha Houston told 8News that the fight for justice is just beginning. "This is stuff you see on TV or you hear about it and you don't ever think you would be affected by it," the mother exclaimed. She sent our team photos documenting the chilling aftermath of the brutal crash. It was not a typical single-car crash that one hears about on a day-to-day basis. While, we're told three people walked out of the barely recognizable vehicle alive, one person -- the driver -- ran out... and kept running. He ultimately disappeared for four months. "It's hard for me to imagine a human that could have just left her there lifeless," Houston said. She broke down how that night unfolded. Houston told 8News that last November, her daughter, Natalie, was one of three passengers riding home from Short Pump in a car allegedly driven by Robin Wood when a cop's sirens went off. "My daughter said, 'Hey, you need to pull over the police are behind us,'" Houston explained. "And that's when he told her, 'Just hold on.'" Houston showed our team a Life-360 screenshot from Natalie's phone, which tracked the speed of the vehicle -- it showed the speed peaking at 91 mph. After the driver rejected Natalie's plea for him to follow the law and obey the police, the nursing student thought quickly and woke up her friend. She helped her friend adjust her positioning so that her legs were in down and in a safe position and told her to put on her seatbelt as the driver… floored it. The driver veered into a wooded Powhatan backroad and -- unfamiliar with the small town's roadways -- eventually crashed. "Mr. Woods got out of the vehicle [and] took off running," Houston told 8News. The man essentially went missing until this past week when Virginia State Police confirmed he turned himself in. As the defendant remains in custody without bond, Houston said her family continues to face the consequences of his actions. She said they have racked up more than $100,000 worth of medical bills. Her daughter is still recovering after suffering a spinal cord injury — coping with severe mental and physical trauma. Houston described her daughter as an "old soul" and one of the sweetest kids you could ever meet. The almost 21-year-old has always wanted to be a nurse so that she could help care for others -- a trait she exhibited the night of the crash. Now, Houston is grateful her daughter is alive and eager to celebrate her 21st birthday. "We get to celebrate 21, which is next month and I didn't think we would have that," Houston said with a tear in her eyes. While it's still early in the battle for justice, Houston remarked on her daughter's kind heart and positive mindset throughout this whole ordeal. "She would be one to forgive him and move on, but he needs to face charges for what he did," Houston said. "Her life has changed forever." Meanwhile, Wood faces multiple felony charges. On Thursday, a judge denied the defense's motion to release him on bond. His attorney has not yet answered 8News' requests for comment. However, the case will be back in court on May 1. ...read more read less