A 16-year-old Taylor Swift fan was killed in a car crash on Thursday (Feb 15) while she was on her way to Swift’s concert in Melbourne, Australia.
Mieka Pokarier was travelling with her mother, Kim, and 10-year-old sister Freya when their SUV was struck by a semitruck, TMZ reported Saturday (Feb 17).
All three passengers were injured in the collision, in addition to the driver of the semitruck, but only Mieka’s injuries proved fatal.
She was pronounced dead by emergency responders who arrived on the scene, while Freya was airlifted to Sydney’s Westmead Hospital in critical condition and placed in a medically induced coma.
Their mother was treated for minor injuries and taken to a local hospital, while the driver of truck, whose identity has not been publicly shared, was also taken to a hospital in stable condition.
So far, no one has been charged or ticketed in the crash, and police are continuing to investigate the incident.
The Pokarier family had been making a 1,700 mile-trek (2,735km) from the Gold Coast, in Queensland, to the concert in Melbourne. The accident occurred near Dubbo, a city that marked roughly the halfway point on their journey.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by the sisters’ godmother, Karleigh Fox, in order to help support the family and cover their medical costs. As of Saturday evening, the fundraiser had brought in more than US$31,000 (RM148,102).
Fox wrote that Freya was “in critical condition, fighting for her life with brain injuries, a damaged pelvis and broken leg,” and that the rest of her family had flown out to Sydney to be at her bedside. Her mother is also expected to fly from Dubbo on Saturday to join them.
The tragic incident marks the second time in just months that a Swift fan has died trying to attend the popstar’s international Eras Tour.
Back in November, a 23-year old psychology student named Ana Clara Benevides Machado died from heat exhaustion before a concert in Rio De Janeiro.
“I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show,” Swift wrote in a heartfelt post to Instagram at the time. She postponed her show the following night on Nov.18, citing “the extreme temperatures in Rio.”
“The safety and well being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first,” Swift said.
Swift also met privately with the Benevides family and gave them VIP passes to a later show in Sao Paulo. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
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