Teen hit by car, suffers severe injures after being hit by a car in front of TXST fraternity

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – Mia Pace, 19, was headed to a Halloween party at a Texas State University fraternity when she was hit by a car traveling along Ranch Road 12 a few miles west of downtown San Marcos. 

The Texas Department of Public Safety was among the agencies that responded to the incident. A spokesperson said the vehicle had the right of way, and the driver cooperated with law enforcement. 

Pace had severe injuries from the impact – a ruptured bladder, internal bleeding, and broken legs, to name a few. Her mom said she was lucky to be alive. 

“I received a phone call at about 11 p.m. from her best friend. And I knew that was probably not a good thing,” Ruthie Bekker, Mia’s mom, said. “She's so lucky. And I think in addition to that, she’s incredibly lucky that she never stopped breathing.” 

Bekker said the hospital has become a second home since the incident. After several procedures and a dozen long hospital days, Bekker said Mia is doing well. 

“She's able to make jokes about the situation, and her spirit's incredible,” Bekker said. “She's just an inspiration to all of us.”

“She's moved out of the ICU, and we're very hopeful that in a few days, she's going to be in a rehab facility, and I think that's where she's going to do her healing,” Bekker continued. 

The day after the crash, Mia’s younger sister, Liana Pace, started a GoFundMe to raise money for Mia’s hospital bills, Liana said. 

“I thought we could have really used the support through that. I wanted to do something for her in these times because I knew it was going to be very difficult,” Liana said. 

She said the page raised $20,000 within 24 hours. Since then, that number has climbed to $45,000. 

“I’m really proud of her. I know she's so strong and I love her so much,” Liana said. 

This isn’t the first serious incident to occur near the Texas State University fraternity along Ranch Road 12. In 2016, 19-year-old Luis Xavier Alvarez was hit by a vehicle and died near where Mia was hit.