A Washington state teen suffered a severe brain injury when she was flung from the sunroof of a car she was standing in during a parking lot stunt.
Elexis Robinson, 17, was hanging halfway out of the top of a car when the driver made a sharp turn, tossing the teen girl out of the moving vehicle and onto the hard pavement in Vancouver, Wash., on Nov. 3.
The teen was with friends in a shopping center’s parking lot just after 8 p.m. when she crashed head-first in the near-death experience, KGW reported.
Robinson fractured her skull and developed three near-fatal brain bleeds – one on the right side and two on the left – her mother, Tricha Linares, revealed on a GoFundMe page.
“As a mother, there are simply no words to describe the fear, heartbreak, and helplessness of watching your child endure something so devastating,” Linares wrote. “In a matter of moments, our entire world was turned upside down.”
Skid marks covered a large section of the parking lot, a result of what appears to be a common activity by thrill seekers in the area, according to drone video from the outlet.
Robinson was diagnosed with a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) that will leave her hospitalized and needing extensive rehabilitation.
“The daughter we love so dearly is now facing an unimaginable medical battle, and our family is desperately hoping, praying, and holding onto every bit of hope for her recovery,” the heartbroken mother added.
Robinson, described as a talented high school senior two credits shy of graduation, now has trouble remembering basic information, including her name, due to her injury.
“Elexis is so much more than this tragedy. She is an incredibly intelligent, beautiful, and kindhearted young woman who has worked so hard throughout high school and is on track to graduate with honors,” Linares wrote.
“She has an entire future ahead of her, dreams waiting to be fulfilled, and so much life left to live. She is deeply loved, and we are determined to stand beside her through every step of this journey.”
The teen spends most of the day sleeping and when she is awake is usually confused, emotional and disoriented, her mother said.
Doctors won’t be able to give a prognosis on Robinson’s long-term condition for some time, stretching between six months and a year.
“We’re kind of left in the dark of what’s going to happen,” Linares said.
The mother blamed her daughter’s new friendship for the almost fatal accident.
“This girl also made a mistake, too. This is her choice, just as much as it was my daughter’s choice to make a mistake,” Linares added. “I want her to learn the consequences of this, but she is a 17-year-old girl as well, and to have her life completely ruined and destroyed, I don’t need two lives like that. I don’t.”
