PORTLAND -- A Lincoln High School senior hit by a car while running in this year's Hood-to-Coast relay race has arrived home.

Chelsee Caskey has made an incredible journey since she was struck Aug. 21 during the race, knocked unconscious and suffered a stroke. At one point she was listed in critical condition.

But now Caskey is out of the hospital and even planning future runs.

“I just remember starting the race,” she said when asked what she recollected from that day.

 Background: Teen suffered stroke

It was Caskey’s third relay. She was still in the first leg of the race and had reached Scapoose when a passing car struck her, knocking her unconscious.

Caskey was thrown onto the hood of the car. She struck her head against the windshield and landed on the side of the road.

When she failed to reach the next exchange, her team knew something was wrong.

Caskey was found in bad shape on the roadside, her leg shattered, her ACL ligament torn and her foot broken.

"You don't even know what's going on, what's going to happen. It's unreal," she said.

The driver, according to police, was just two years older than Caskey.

Crystal Meyer, a 20-year-old Rainier resident, was allegedly high on methamphetamines and marijuana, police say, when she struck Caskey.

A month has come and gone since the accident and Caskey is in a new, slower race toward recovery. And she’s already looking ahead -- to a fourth showing in the relay.

“I'm looking forward to running next year in Portland-to-Coast, but it just depends on how quickly I recover," Caskey said. “It would be pretty amazing to run it next year with my team again.”

The road forward will be as long as the grueling race. The 18-year-old faces outpatient physical therapy and future surgeries. But she remains motivated and enjoys widespread support from around the state.

"People I don't even know have sent me letters and kept me encouraged that I'm going to make it through this,” she said.

Meyer is scheduled to be back in court Oct. 10 in connection to the accident.

Caskey says she forgives the woman and will focus her energies on recovery.

The 18-year-old Lincoln High School senior faces six more months of recovery.

Meyer was charged with assault, driving under the influence of drugs and reckless driving.

KGW Reporter Scott Burton contributed to this report.