CEDAR CITY, Utah — It was just weeks ago, on the morning of April 4, that the unthinkable happened to Trinity Dorris when the 14-year-old was hit on Interstate 15, right across from her middle school in Cedar City.
Unconscious for more than a week, Dorris suffered broken bones and underwent multiple surgeries.
"I've been better," the teen said Friday. "I'm as good as I can be right now, but definitely a lot happier than I was."
Trinity was hit after crossing over a short fence next to Canyon View Middle School and stepping onto the freeway.
"The reason I did it was because I thought the world would be better without me," Trinity said. "Kind of learned it the hard way, but learned that it's not true. Made my life a whole lot better. It really changed my perspective of life."
Trinity said months of bullying, including a false rumor about her friend, drove her into depression. She ran out of school after morning gym class following an argument with a classmate.
"I remember waking up. I remember getting ready for school. I remember going to school and I don't remember all of it, but I got into a fight with someone," Trinity shared. "They said 'I'm done' and he meant I'm done with the argument, but I thought he meant he was done with me. So that was kind of my breaking point."
The moments before the impact remain fragmented in her memory.
"I remember running out the doors," she recalled. "I threw my backpack off and I remember running up and climbing up onto the pathway and then I don't remember exactly like hopping over the freeway and standing in front of the car."
Trinity is now advocating for better safety measures near the school, noting how easily accessible the freeway is to students.
"It's very easy to get up to the freeway," she said. "I know people who have thought about doing it after I got hit. I know people who have thought about getting hit as well. They haven't, thankfully."
Dorris explained that she was familiar with the area, having previously spent time there with friends.
"I used to go up there with a guy and my old friends and we used to sit up there and yell at cars or yell at people," Trinity said.
Trinity's father, Charles, feared the worst.
"I didn't know if she was going to make it or not," Charles said.
The teen's first memories after the incident were confusing.
"I remember waking up in the hospital bed and the first thing I remember when I first woke up was I was ice skating and I remember falling and then I woke up in the hospital bed so I thought it was from the ice skating," Trinity said. "My parents came in and they said I got hit by a car and then it all kind of came back."
She's now grateful to the medical professionals who cared for her at the hospital in St. George and later at Primary Children's Hospital.
"At the hospital, they actually gave me a safety plan so that if I do feel that way, I can get better," she said. "Alexis, Paige, Lindsay. They were people who really took good care of me."
Trinity still has more rehab visits to hospitals in St. George and Salt Lake City to come. But her recovery has been quicker than expected. While still needing a wheelchair now, doctors say she might be able to walk again in three weeks.
Trinity also expressed special gratitude for an unknown nurse who stopped her car on the freeway and resuscitated her.
"I would have been dead if it weren't for her. And I'm very grateful for that."
The Dorris family is planning a welcome-back party and hopes to invite the nurse, though they don't know her name.
This isn't the first tragedy for the Dorris family. Their son, Charles Junior, died during basic training in 2021, with circumstances the family still questions.
"The final report was that he had taken his own life, although I have evidence to prove otherwise," Charles said. "I even talked to the governor at one point and he said that he would have somebody who could help me figure out what had really happened and of course, I never heard anything from him again."
Last November, Charles Sr. survived a 50-foot fall into a remote, abandoned mine shaft, creating an unexpected bond with Trinity through their shared recovery experiences.
"We've always had a good relationship and we've noticed things that are similar," he said. "We're very happy and jokey kind of family, you know, and there's been some things that have been interesting as far as recovering from brain injury and stuff, showing some things that are very similar."
One such moment came during Trinity's hospital stay.
"She woke up and she was crying and she was just distraught and I couldn't figure out what was going on," Charles recalled. "She said, 'Well, I missed my superpowers. Where's my superpowers?' And it's just one of those things that her brain was kind of being wired back together, saying some strange things, and she thought I was Deadpool and Superman, and she's like, 'Can I have your superpowers?'"
Trinity's mother, Bridget, sees growth amid the family's challenges.
"It's been hard, but it's something that we're going through and getting through. And there's silver linings to all of it, and it's made our family healthier," Bridget said.
The Cedar City community has rallied around the family, providing financial support for medical bills that included two life flights.
For Trinity, the outpouring of support has been eye-opening.
"I feel very, very cared for. Like I did not know I was that special," Trinity said. " I thought the world would be better without me. And I thought that it would help a lot of people. I was wrong. Even if you feel worthless or useless or something like that, you are cared for and people need you, whether you know it or not."
If you or someone you love is struggling with mental health or suicidal thoughts, help is always available.
Dial 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
