An Australian teenager underwent seven surgeries and could now lose his sight forever after crashing into a tree while riding his motorcycle.
Linden McQuire, 16, was traveling with her father and friends on an off-road track in Mundaring State Forest, 70 kilometers east of Perth, when she crashed on August 31.
One of his friends provided first aid while another ran from the scene of the accident to raise the alarm after failing to get a phone signal inside the park.
The teenager was unconscious for 20 minutes before waking up in agony.
Linden’s mother Toni said her son was “in a bad state” as he was flown to Royal Perth Hospital with fractures to his spine, skull, face and arm.
He also suffered a hemorrhage on the brain, despite being equipped with protective equipment.
‘I felt all the pain. “It was the most terrible thing for me and my husband to witness – no matter how much relief they gave him, the pain didn’t go away,” Mrs McQuire said. 7news on Tuesday.
There are now fears that Linden could lose her sight permanently after losing vision in her left eye and all peripheral vision in her right eye.
Linden McGuire (pictured) suffered fractures to her spine, skull, face and arm, and bleeding on the brain after a horror motorcycle accident.
Linden (pictured) was riding a motorcycle with her father and friends when she crashed into a tree.
The teenager spent six weeks at the Royal Perth Hospital before being transferred to the Sir Charles Gairdner.
He has already undergone seven surgeries, four of them on the brain.
His parents take 12-hour shifts at his bedside to make sure he is never alone.
The couple were warned that Linden’s recovery would be a “roller coaster,” but they were still unprepared for the unsteady nature of her progress.
‘Every time something positive happened, you took 10 steps back. “You feel like you’re winning and then you worry that you’re going to lose it overnight,” Ms. McQuire said.
Before the accident, Linden was doing a roofing apprenticeship, but is now at risk of losing his job and his ability to drive if he does not regain his vision.
There is a clinic in Germany where specialists are confident they can help the 16-year-old recover some of his vision and improve his quality of life.
The McQuires are now raising $50,000 for two trips to Berlin for treatment.
Linden (pictured) is now at risk of permanently losing most of her vision.
The McGuire family is trying to raise $50,000 for Linden to receive specialized treatment
More than $16,000 has already been donated to his campaign.
Mrs McQuire is continually amazed by her “warrior” son’s positive attitude after the accident, saying he is “really happy to be here and alive”.
“I don’t know if he could be so brave in his position,” he said.
