PITTSBURGH, P.A. — After having gone through months of rehab following a drugged driving crash in 2021 that took the life of her unborn baby, News10NBC was with Julia Resto as she opened her own catering business, Phat Girl Foods. 

She was rebuilding her life after such loss. Last weekend, she decided to take a trip with her girlfriend. 

“We finally just took our first vacation after opening so, we were very excited to go to Pittsburgh,” Resto said. 

They stopped at a park to watch the sunrise. Resto says she got dizzy and fell off the back of the ledge they were sitting on. 

“I was knocked out and then I woke up in the trees, in the bushes. I didn’t know the extent of my injuries or anything. So, I was trying to crawl back up the hill and I couldn’t do it. So I thought ‘Maybe I could crawl down’ but I couldn’t do that either. So, I just laid there and yelled for help,” Resto recalls. 

As Resto’s girlfriend ran to find help, workers at a nearby car dealership heard Resto’s screams for help. They called 911 and a rope rescue ensued, carried out by first responders in Pittsburgh. 

“I do remember, like hearing the chain saw (as they were cutting trees away) and feeling pieces of tree hitting me,” Resto said. 

She fell more than four stories, breaking her neck and sustaining several other injuries. 

“I have, like, two rods in my neck and a cage or something in the front.” Resto tells News10NBC Investigative Reporter Jennifer Lewke.

She’s just trying to recover enough to be medically transported back to Rochester where she has three children waiting for her. 

 “Sometimes, I definitely think the higher power has it out for me. But you can’t get rid of me yet,” Resto said with a smile. 

“You’re a fighter,” Lewke replied.

 “Yep, I keep fighting,” Resto affirmed. 

 “I mean, how do you have a smile on your face Julia?” Lewke asked. 

“Well, I mean, I still have three kids to get home to and I’m not ready to give up yet. I might as well smile instead of cry cause they both hurt,” Resto responded. 

Resto was moved out of the ICU on Tuesday. She is hoping that she might be able to be transported via ambulance back home by next weekend but a lot will depend on how things go this week. 

A GoFundMe has been set-up to help with some of her expenses:  Fundraiser by Amy Lynn : Help support Julia’s Recovery (gofundme.com)

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