A 10-year-old girl severely injured in a DUI related semi truck crash last weekend is now facing a tough road to recovery.
10-year-old Ginni Smith was riding unbuckled in the cab of a semi truck with a relative last Friday, July 15th on her way to Sweet Home, Oregon when the truck swerved off of Highway 20. The truck then rolled down an embankment and landed near the Santiam River, ejecting Ginni and the driver from the cab, and even killing Ginni’s dog, who was riding with them.
“Jenny was in a bush, crying, and it was pretty apparent that she was pretty injured,” said Michelle Holliday, Ginni’s director at summer camp and a close family friend to News Channel 21.
Another driver called 911 and Ginni was airlifted to a Portland hospital with a back broken in 4 places. The truck driver, a relative of Ginni’s, was treated for non life threatening injuries and arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving, reckless endangering, assault and animal abuse.
Holliday has since set up a Facebook fundraiser for Ginni.
“All the prayers and love and things people have been posting to the Facebook page, she shares with Ginni. And she believes that that has helped her with some of this recovery and taking those baby steps,” Holliday said. “As well as keeping her spirits high, wanting to keep trying harder and wanting to not get so down on those setbacks that she does have.”