LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It's still hard for Kristen Groover to process what happened last Friday.
She lost everything inside of her studio apartment in Old Louisville when a car sped down Oak Street and hit a tree. The driver died when the vehicle went up in flames causing the building where she lives to catch fire.
Groover lives on the second floor and there's a ramen restaurant on the first.
"I looked at my phone and there was missed calls from my landlord and a text message that said 'the building was on fire'," said Groover.
She rushed home, thinking about everything from her cat to her belongings.
Luckily, firefighters found the cat hiding in another apartment. She said it feels unreal especially considering she'd just left the apartment two minutes before the crash.
Groover came to Louisville from New York a year and a half ago to rebuild. She was only carrying one duffle bag.
Now, she's forced to rebuild again.
"It was my first space of just my very own and it was the colors I wanted and the designs I wanted and now it's gone," Groover said.
But she's grateful she and her cat are okay.
"The thought of that could've been me, like it could've been so much worse, especially with that kind of timing difference," she said.
There is a gofundme to help Groover rebuild.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.