An 18-year-old woman was shot in the foot while riding in a car on Interstate 480 early Friday.
According to a police report, Christina was the passenger in an SUV headed westbound on I-480 between State Road and Ridge Road around 3:50 a.m.
Christina's boyfriend, Brandon, had just picked her up from Kent State to take her home to Brook Park for the weekend, when police say they passed the State Road exit and heard a loud bang.
Then Christina noticed she was bleeding heavily.
While the vehicle was moving, a bullet came flying in, hitting her in the foot.
"We were coming home for my high school's homecoming...that is when we heard the huge pop," Christina said. "Like you would have thought a tire rod popped or something."
After she noticed her foot was bleeding, the pain followed. She says it was her boyfriend who put the pieces together.
"He's like, 'it looks like you were shot,' and I was like, 'I was shot?' And then he calls my dad and he's like, 'Christina's been shot,'" Christina explained.
Brandon took Christina to University Hospitals Parma Medical Center for treatment.
"Never in a million years would I have thought I would be the one to get that phone call," said Christina's father, Christopher.
Christopher says much of his trip to the hospital was a blur and it wasn't until he saw her that he and his wife were able to calm down.
"The orthopedic surgeon actually said it was the best case scenario," he said. "It hit in exactly the right area...another foot higher or the door wouldn't hit her right on the chest."
Doctors say in six to eight weeks, Christina should be fully recovered. In the meantime, she's keeping her spirits high.
Christina says no one in the car saw anything unusual and at this time it is unclear if this was intentional or a stray bullet.
If you have any information about this case, call Cleveland police.
