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Teenager Danyka was walking with her younger brother on Choptank Road near a local elementary school earlier this month when she was struck head-on by Woodbridge resident Melissa Jones, 43, who was allegedly intoxicated at the time.
In the crash, the teen suffered severe injuries that include head trauma, a shattered pelvic bone, as well as hand, finger, hip, and leg injuries. Jones was arrested on the day of the crash and faces multiple charges after striking the teenager.
Following the crash, friends and family members of the teenager have started a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to help raise money for her family after she had to undergo four surgeries and is now being treated in a different hospital for continued care.
According to organizers of the fundraiser, doctors have said her recovery "will be very lengthy and she will require several additional surgeries and extensive rehabilitation.”
“I just saw Danyka at Thanksgiving. She told me about her plans to finish high school and her dream of joining the Marines. She is such a strong young woman braving this emergency,” organizer Bonnie Betts, a family member, wrote. “Please consider helping Danyka's parents pay for the multiple surgeries and medical bills that they will have over the next while.”
Nearly $7,500 has been raised by well-wishers and members of the community just days after the GoFundMe campaign was started.
Anyone who is interested in donating to the teen’s GoFundMe fundraiser can do so here.
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