The Texas teen who survived a skydiving accident in Oklahoma appeared for the first time on Thursday after being released from a Dallas medical facility.
Makenzie Wethington has spent the past two weeks at the Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation. The 16-year-old spoke publicly during a news conference on Thursday.
"I would like to, first of all, thank god," NBC reported Makenzie as saying.
Makenzie had high hopes for the first-ever skydive, which her father had scheduled for her birthday in January.
But when her parachute didn't open properly, Makenzie punted into the ground, breaking several bones.
"I was scared and I know there was something very wrong," she said of the accident. "I think I went into shock."
Makenzie suffered damage to her spine, ribs, teeth and liver, NBC News reported. She also broke her pelvis and experienced brain trauma.
Dr. Seema Sikka, who tended to Makenzie during her stay at the hospital, said Wethington should be able to walk without a walker "very soon."
"I've seen a lot of amazing things in my career, but I can't explain how someone survives this," Sikka told the press.
Sikka said Makenzie must attend physical therapy sessions, in addition to speech therapy.
Wethington will go back to school soon - she said she was "very ready" to return, NBC reported.
