Support 'Tremendous' for Crash Family
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Page: B1 / FRONT
Section: Capital & Van. Isl.
Byline: Scott Petersen
Source: Times Colonist
An outpouring of support has raised more than $9,000 at the Help Fill A Dream Foundation for the family caught in a fiery two-vehicle crash on the Malahat June 13.
Parents Marilyn Peter and Neil Sell, who were treated and released from hospital, are currently staying in Vancouver to be near their nine-year-old daughter Amanda. She is in a coma and remains in serious, but stable condition at the B.C. Children's Hospital, receiving treatment for severe burns to her back, face, arm and one leg.
Her two-year-old brother Gary-Lee is expected to make a complete recovery from two broken legs and minor burns at Victoria General Hospital.
"Since that accident, we've just been crazy," said Lea Dragland, office manager at the Help Fill A Dream Foundation, about the support for the family. "I wouldn't be surprised if it hit $15,000 to $20,000 before it's finished.
"The heart of the people has been tremendous."
The young Nitinat Lake family's vehicle was travelling very slowly up the Malahat and had been passed by several cars when a pickup truck slammed into it from behind. Several strangers worked together to pull the family from the burning wreckage just before flames engulfed the vehicle.
Now, strangers throughout the Island and Vancouver are helping again by making phone-in, mail-in, and drop-off donations to help the family recuperate. Money raised through the Help Fill A Dream Foundation will go toward helping Amanda get through this ordeal, said Dragland.
"The girl's going to need a proper bed, and proper sterile blankets," she added, listing off just a few of the needs the family may have in the future. "They have a long road ahead with this girl."
The Ditidaht Tribe is picking up the tab for the family's hotel room in Vancouver until Wednesday. The family is then expected to move into the Easter Seals House or Ronald McDonald House for the next three to four months while their daughter recovers, and the Foundation will cover their living expenses at that time.
Most of the donations will go toward the girl's future needs, and if any money is left over, it may be put in an education trust fund, said Dragland.
Amanda will need skin grafts and will "be badly scarred for the rest of her life," said Dragland. That means partial-thickness skin will be harvested from somewhere else on her body and placed somewhere it's needed.
Dr. Cindy Verchere, a burn specialist at B.C. Children's Hospital, said while the initial burning sensation is the most painful for victims, the lasting effects of burns are very tough, especially with kids.
"With facial burns, the toughest part is you have scars on your face for the rest of your life," said Verchere. "Coping socially afterwards can be very difficult. ... They look different and people will look at them."
Though Verchere can't comment specifically on Amanda's condition, she said it's very likely her pain will be well-managed through drugs and that she would be sedated to keep her immobile.