Three-year-old Elise Strong is recovering at home after being hospitalized from injuries suffered in a hit-and-run crash more than a week ago.

“Replaying in our heads, over and over again,” said Melody Strong, Elise’s mother. “We keep telling ourselves how lucky we are.”

Minneapolis police said Elise was struck by a car and run over with the back tire near Third Street and Lowry Avenue Northeast and the suspect didn’t stay at the scene.

It happened as the family was walking together to lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Elise was rushed to a Minneapolis hospital with numerous injuries.

“She’s very happy to be home, happy to try get back to new normal. … It’s hard,” Melody Strong said now that Elise has been released from the hospital.

Court records filed on Monday, show Hennepin County prosecutors charged 21-year-old Jaelyn Steven Evans with felony criminal vehicular operation.

According to court records, MPD said they found security video from a nearby business that helped them identify it was Evans’ vehicle that hit the girl and left the scene on July 21. Hennepin County Jail records show Evans was arrested by MPD on the evening of July 22 but was then released two days later since charges hadn’t been filed by the county attorney’s office.

After Evans was released, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty’s office told us they were discussing the case with police at the time “to determine what charges are appropriate.”

We later learned in court documents that investigators allege Evans “admitted that he was the one driving the car at the time of the accident” and that he was aware a witness was “banging on his windshield, but he did not stop the vehicle.” An arrest warrant was issued for Evans after prosecutors filed charges with the court on Monday.

Evans was taken into custody by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and booked Tuesday morning. He is scheduled to be in court Wednesday afternoon.

As for little Elise, she can’t sit up on her own just yet from her injuries, according to her family, but is improving.

“It brought tears to my eyes the first day we brought her home,” Melody Strong said. “She was giggling again with her sister, just hearing her be herself as much as she can was really, really nice.”

A fundraising effort has begun to help the family with the sudden expenses from the hit-and-run.