Whitney Schultz continues to improve after being injured in a car accident earlier this month. Her eyes are open, and though she still isn’t conscious, she is able to do simple tasks like grabbing a towel, said stepfather Rob Hall.

“It’s all positive. Very positive,” he said. “She’s a trooper.”

The 20-year-old Anacortes resident was moved to the Neurosurgery Clinic at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Thursday. The clinic specializes in assessment and management of neurological conditions.

Schultz was badly injured in a car accident July 4 on Guemes Island. She sustained brain contusions and three head fractures in the crash. She was one of five Anacortes youth involved in the accident and was the most seriously injured. Schultz is a 2006 Anacortes High School graduate and was working at the Rockfish Grill and Lucky Chopsticks before the accident. She had been accepted to Western Washington University and planned to start in the fall.

Schultz has been fitted with a helmet for when she is out of bed and was helped into a chair Sunday. Hall said though she isn’t talking, her improvement has been great.

“She’s doing very well. She’s sat up in bed a couple times,” he said.

Hall said she is breathing on her own and was scheduled to have a feeding tube inserted Monday. “She’ll be there for quite some time yet,” he said.

Once she shows more improvement, Hall said Schultz will be moved to a rehab center to relearn how to walk and talk.

Schultz’s family has set up a Web site so friends can track her progress, see photos and write notes. Visit http://www.caringbridge.org and type in “whitneyschultz.”

As of Monday, more than 100 messages were left for Schultz and her family.

According to a post, Candace Kiersky organized a bake sale booth at Shipwreck Day to raise money for a trust fund account that has been set up for Schultz at Skagit State Bank. Nearly $1,800 was raised. “Whitney will appreciate that,” Hall said. “Everybody’s prayers are well-noted.”