SEATTLE — Jennifer Curtin, 14-year-old the East Wenatchee girl who was hit by a car Wednesday, is now responsive and breathing on her own.

Her father, Skip Curtin, said Monday that his daughter was taken off a ventilator in the morning. She is still in stable but critical condition in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where she was flown after doctors discovered a buildup of blood next to her skull soon after the accident.

“It’s been a really good day, so far,” he said in a telephone interview.

“She’s actually mouthed her name a couple of times,” Curtin said. “The neuro (neurology) team, everyone who’s been in has been really positive. We’re all excited,” he added.

Curtin was with three or four other teenagers who were trying to cross Grant Road at about 6:15 p.m. when she was struck by a car driven by a 75-year-old Wenatchee man, East Wenatchee Police reported. The man’s view of the youngsters crossing was obscured by a car in front of him, which had stopped for the teens, police said.

Curtin added that, despite the good news, “She’s got a long ways to go. This is a marathon, not a sprint.”

He said his daughter does appear to understand what’s going on.

“She’s kind of acknowledging that we’re there now. She looked at me when they asked her to find her dad,” he said.

The family expects her to remain in intensive care for at least a few weeks.

K.C. Mehaffey: 997-2512

mehaffey@wenatcheeworld.com