Young Taylor Swift fan ‘not out of the woods’ after horrific crash
The younger sister of a teenage Taylor Swift fan who died in a crash on her way to see the star is “not out of the woods yet”.
The godmother of the teenage Taylor Swift fan who died in a horror crash while travelling to see the star says her younger sister is “not out of the woods yet” as she remains in an induced coma in a Sydney hospital.
Mieka Pokarier, 16, and her sister Freya, 10, were travelling with their mum from the Gold Coast to Melbourne to see Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
Police say the family’s SUV and a semi-trailer collided head-on along a rural road near Dubbo, in the NSW Central West region about 6pm on Thursday.
Mieka died at the scene, while Freya was rushed to hospital, where she remains in a coma with brain injuries, a damaged pelvis and a broken leg.
Their mum, Kim Litchfield, was also injured and taken to Dubbo Hospital, and has since scrambled to her youngest daughter’s bedside where her husband and another daughter are currently keeping a vigil.
The children’s godmother Karleigh Fox, who organised a GoFundMe appeal, says Freya is “not out of the woods yet”.
“We had some thorough chats with the incredible doctors about the potential prognosis and we are not out of the woods yet with risks of swelling in the brain and infection still evident,” she wrote as part of an update on the appeal.
“This could still be life threatening.
“We are keeping our girl in an induced coma for a few more days in order to give her body a chance to stay still and hopefully recover as much as possible.”
She said the “real work” will begin “of course when she is conscious”.
Ms Fox paid tribute to Mieka describing her as “smart and creative” whose life was cut short too soon.
“She’s been a Taylor Swift fan for over 10 years, and she loved maths, she loved pottery, she was always making people things with pottery and going to classes,” she wrote.
“She was very talented, she’s always been into creating friendship bracelets.”
Ms Fox was with Mieka the day before the crash and said the 16-year-old had just finished a shift at her takeaway restaurant job, excited to hit the road and see her idol live for the first time with her sister.
“They spent like up to eight hours refreshing to try and get tickets, they’re really dedicated and they were stoked to get tickets for both shows in Melbourne and Sydney,” she wrote.
“Then to make a big holiday, it was supposed to be an 11 day road trip to catch up with friends and see the sights.”
An outpouring of tributes have flowed in the days after Mieka’s death, with friends spreading the hashtag #forever16.
Friend Cheyenne Craig said Mieka was learning to drive and had many plans for the future.
“How is it fair that someone as sweet and beautiful as you was taken away from us so soon?,” she wrote to social media.
“Mieka was the sweetest, most down to earth person you could’ve ever had the privilege of knowing, her stupid jokes that always made no sense but somehow always made you laugh … and the way we would spend the entire day talking about concerts.”
Another friend, Simone Medland, said Mieka was her light in the darkness.
“I was so happy to see you happy living your life and going to concerts. You deserved to be happy and there are so many people that care about you.,” she wrote to social media.
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