Northeastern Student Speaks Out After Surviving Blast

(NECN: Amy Sinclair, Boston) - It was a perfect afternoon to watch the marathon. Northeastern University student Sarah Girouard was among those lining Boylston Street to cheer the runners down the home stretch.

"I was with two of my roommates at the finish line in front of the Marathon Sports store,” said Girouard. “I felt a blast I grabbed one of them.”

Girouard says they took off into the smoky chaos trying to find a store where they could take cover.

"I just felt my knee kind of get hit with something,” said Girouard.

Back in Maine, her mother, Sue Girouard, was just getting home from the grocery store.

"I got a text from a friend that said, 'Hope Sarah's not at the Marathon,'" said Sue. "Your heart kind of stops, cause I knew she was."

The Girouards did what parents everywhere with children in Boston did that Monday afternoon. They started texting and calling their daughter, but Sarah didn't answer the texts or pick up the phone.

Finally, their other daughter called to say Sarah was in triage under a medical tent and on her way to Tufts Medical Center.

“I have a fractured shin bone and a fractured heel bone from the shrapnel that hit and then just kind of a partially blown eardrum,” said Girouard.

 As serious as those injuries sound, they know it could have been much worse.

"I’m very lucky," said Girouard.

Girouard is grateful for the medical care and kindness she experienced that awful day and all the support she's received since. She is headed home to Falmouth, Maine to continue the healing process in her parents’ care.

Girouard’s injuries will heal, but like so many others, she is trying to make sense of why this happened and why anyone would want to hurt so many innocent people.

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