5-year-old P.E.I. girl injured in trampoline accident recovering at home
Sara Fraser | CBC News | Posted: June 20, 2017 9:03 PM | Last Updated: June 20, 2017
'It really was a freak accident,' says mother
Five-year-old Ella Hurry, who was badly hurt in a trampoline accident a week and a half ago, is happy to be recovering at home after a stay at the IWK Children's Hospital in Halifax.
Hurry, and the trampoline she was playing on Sunday, June 11, was picked up by a gust of wind and thrown about 40 metres. She was airlifted to Halifax, where doctors said she had a collapsed lung and a concussion.
"It's better than anybody could have ever predicted by far — nothing short of a miracle," said Ella's mother, Terrie-Lynn Hurry, of Ella's recovery. "She bounced back pretty quickly."
For the first three or four days, Hurry said, Ella was not responsive — she didn't speak or eat, until she asked her grandmother on the phone to bring her a sucker.
Ella is still tired and has a cast on a broken arm.
'More severe than we had thought'
Doctors told the family Ella's brain injuries will likely take the longest to heal — images revealed bleeding in several parts of her brain, Hurry explained.
"After the MRI, we found out they were more severe than we had thought," Hurry said. "A few bleeds down into the white matter... it was pretty much her whole brain that was affected."
Hurry is taking time off from work to spend the summer with Ella and make sure she's comfortable and happy. Doctors have told the family that unless there are any problems, they likely won't have to return to the IWK.
"It really was a freak accident — you don't obviously expect anything like that to happen," Hurry said.
"It was kind of a realisation that trampolines do need to be anchored down, and maybe just stay off them if it's going to be windy." Hurray said Ella still has a trampoline, but isn't sure when or if she'll use it again.
An indoor trampoline park in Slemon Park has offered Ella and her sisters free passes when she's feeling better.
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