A teenage girl is in the “fight of her life” with a difficult recovery ahead after a Christmas lights sightseeing tour took a horror turn.
On December 24, Tayla Sturtzel, 17, went for a drive with her friends in her local neighbourhood to look at light decorations on Christmas Eve.
Just after midnight, the girls were involved in a nasty car accident when the vehicle they were in hit a tree on a road 10 minutes from Tayla’s home.
Ms Sturtzel’s friends were able to walk away with minor injuries.
But the 17-year-old, who was in the back seat, suffered multiple injuries, including fractures to her spine, pelvis, collarbone and facial wounds.
She also suffered bruising on her brain, which her family say has caused “confusion, memory loss and distress”, and as a result of her injuries will also now need to work with a physio daily to be able to walk properly again.
Ms Sturtzel was taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital, with her family not budging from her side for the duration of Christmas and Boxing Day as she was assessed.
A GoFundMe has been organised by her aunt, Lisa Bartlett, to fundraise for the young teen’s mother – a single mum-of-three.
Ms Bartlett said the family has some idea of what the future will hold for Tayla, but they don’t know when she’ll be back on her feet.
“What we do know is that Tayla is going to require surgery to repair the bad break in her collarbone before we can even think about rehabilitating her spine and pelvic injuries,” Ms Bartlett wrote.
She said Tayla will need extensive care and rehab, but that means her mother will need to stop working for at least six months.
In a comment on the fundraising site, Angela Bartlett, Tayla’s mother, thanked those who had donated for their help and said her daughter was recovering in her hospital ward.
“She is in good spirits and the physiotherapist team will now be able to start working with her daily to start trying to walk and stand,” she wrote.
“They helped her out of bed yesterday and she was able to stand and take a few steps before her surgery.
“Hopefully now that her collarbone is fixed, she will gain more strength in her upper body and will be able to continue her therapy.”
“This is the fight of Tayla‘s life and she has a strong network of family and friends rallying around her,” Ms Bartlett wrote.
“We just need some extra help and kindness from anyone who can give even the smallest amount or just the kind act of sharing her story so others may decide to help join her fight too!”
The funds from the GoFundMe, which has a goal of $35,000, will go towards paying the family’s rent, bills, any travel to and from the hospital and private physio costs that may be needed for Tayla’s recovery.
“The most important thing this money will do is give Tayla the one thing she needs most, the physical and emotional support of her mum without the worry of the family being displaced without the funds to pay rent and bills,” Ms Bartlett wrote.
Of their goal, so far the family has received over 200 donations, with $12,181 raised.
Ms Bartlett told NCA NewsWire on Friday that Ms Sturtzel had undergone a successful surgery to her collar bone, but was keen to get home.
“She just wants to get home to her house and her room and try and move on,” she said.
“She’s a very private girl, but I just wanted to share the Go Fund Me to try and help out in such a difficult time.”
She said over Christmas, the family took turns being with Ms Sturtzel in hospital while the others looked after other family member’s homes and children.
“An issue we faced was the parking costs at the hospital over Christmas, and Tayla’s mother had to pay around $90 just to park there while she was with her,” she said.
“The site is just to help ease that burden while we try and help Tayla recover.”