A Washington state teenager suffered a severe traumatic brain injury after being thrown through the sunroof of a moving car during a parking-lot stunt.
Elexis Robinson, 17, was partially out of the vehicle’s sunroof when the driver made a sharp turn, sending her onto the pavement in Vancouver, Wash., on Nov. 3.
Robinson had been with friends in a shopping-center parking lot shortly after 8 p.m. when she landed headfirst, according to KGW.
The impact fractured Robinson’s skull and caused three life-threatening brain hemorrhages—two on the left side and one on the right, her mother, Tricha Linares, wrote 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.”
Drone footage obtained by the outlet showed extensive skid marks across the parking lot, suggesting the area is frequently used by thrill-seekers for similar stunts.
Robinson was diagnosed with a severe traumatic brain injury and is expected to remain hospitalized while undergoing 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,” Linares wrote.
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Robinson is a talented high school senior who was just two credits short of graduating. Since the crash, however, she has struggled to remember basic details, including her own name.
“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.”
According to her mother, Robinson sleeps for much of the day and is often confused, emotional and disoriented when awake.
Doctors may need six months to a year before they can determine the extent of Robinson’s long-term recovery.
“We’re kind of left in the dark of what’s going to happen,” Linares said.
Linares also said she believes Robinson’s new friendship played a role in the crash.
“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 said. “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.”
