Girl, 4, who lost mom, brother, goes home

Four-year-old Marialena Trinca is home again -- four months after a Manorville car wreck claimed the lives of her mother and older brother, and stunned the community.

Doctors released Marialena Thursday after putting her through grueling physical therapy, giving her an "excellent" prognosis for a full recovery.

At St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, the girl who couldn't eat, walk or talk after the October accident smiled and stepped gingerly to a wheelchair, clutching a sock monkey.

Jason Trinca called his daughter's recovery a "miracle," admitting through tears that he doubted whether the girl, nicknamed Fresh, would survive.

"I'm looking forward to the bright future Fresh is going to have," he said.

Dr. Jennifer Semel, St. Charles' medical director of physical medicine and rehabilitation, cautioned there are still physical and psychological challenges ahead for Marialena. She will have to undergo more physical therapy.

The family said nobody has told her that her mother, Keri Trinca, 30, and brother, Jason, 7, a promising go-kart racer, are dead.

The family kept photos of her mother in Marialena's hospital room, but when her questions strayed too close to the accident, "we diverted the conversation," said Marialena's uncle, Anthony Trinca.

He said the family has yet to discuss how best to tell Marialena the terrible truth.

Marialena's grandmother, Pat Trinca, suspects the girl already knows. Her first words at the hospital were to ask for her mother, but she hasn't mentioned her since.

Thursday, the focus was on getting Marialena back home -- "to be a 4-year-old, to play with her toys," Anthony Trinca said.

Added Pat Trinca: "To sleep in her own bed."

Marialena suffered a traumatic brain injury and fractured pelvis in the Oct. 8 accident. She initially couldn't use the left side of her body, doctors said.

Another brother, Christopher, 2, survived the crash and is doing well, his father said.

Police said Keri Trinca's 1998 Honda Accord was broadsided by a Ford van at the intersection of Route 111 and Montauk Avenue, a few blocks from the family's home. Police have said there was no criminality involved.

The tragedy triggered an outpouring of grief for the family. Hundreds filled the football bleachers at Eastport-South Manor High School for a candlelight vigil days after the accident. "The well-wishes have meant the world to my family," Jason Trinca said."As a father, I don't have the words to express what that's meant to me."

Therapists at St. Charles' pediatric rehabilitation center gave Marialena a standing ovation before she left the hospital about 5 p.m. Thursday. A few wiped away tears.

Stephanie Costa, one of the therapists, said Marialena was fond of telling knock-knock jokes. "She's always blowing kisses, and she always has a hug for you," Costa said. "She's a very special person."

With John Valenti