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Pictured: Indi at her school formal
A teenage girl has had part of her skull removed after she plunged five metres onto rocks from a rope swing just hours after handing in her final Year 11 assignment.
Indi submitted her last piece of school work at 9am on December 4 and followed her friends to an idyllic swimming spot on the Snowy River called Waste Point in the Kosciuszko National Park, south of Canberra, to celebrate.
As her friends splashed around and used a rope to fling themselves into the water, the 17-year-old’s mother Belinda believes her very cautious daughter had likely never used the swing before and got scared.
‘She either backed out or overestimated when to let go and she just dropped onto the rocks – she didn’t even enter the water,’ the 44-year-old told Daily Mail Australia.
The fit and healthy teenager was unconscious as soon as she hit the ground, leaving her terrified friends to call an ambulance and ensure she was was still breathing.
Pictured: India (left) and her friend Bailie in their bikinis before going swimming near their home in Jindabyne
Pictured: Indi being taken to Cooma Hospital by paramedics after she fell from a rope swing
When emergency workers couldn’t get to Indi because the pathway to the swimming spot was too narrow, the father of one of her friends had to carry her out before paramedics worked on her to assess the damage.
Meanwhile, her mother entered panic mode.
‘I was 45 minutes away from the river and I completely freaked out,’ the drug and alcohol worker said.
‘I packed up my work while ringing her brother or anyone who could get there before me.’
Pictured: Indi in hospital with a neck brace on and oxygen tubes. The family were unsure what the damage was
Pictured: Indi and her mother Belinda. The 44-year-old said no one should have to endure what her daughter is experiencing
Pictured: Indi and a friend at their Year 12 formal. Indi had just handed in her last English assessment when she fell
Indi was taken to Cooma Hospital before a chopper arrived and took her to Canberra Hospital where surgeons immediately shaved half her head and removed part of her skull to reduce the pressure on her brain.
She now has a large scar from under her ear spanning through the centre of her skull.
A week later, Indi woke up in ICU and wasted no time asking the doctor if he would please remove her neck brace.
‘He looked at me and said he couldn’t believe a 17-year-old who had just woken up from a coma said “please”,’ Belinda chuckled.
Once the brace was removed, it became clear the teenager could move her neck, arms and legs – eliminating fears she might be paralysed.
Pictured: Indi’s brother Lochy, 19, her mother. Belinda said the siblings have a close bond and can communicate through eye contact alone
Pictured: Indi at waterfall walk at Sawpit Creek, about 10 minutes from the scene of the accident
The family are unsure whether she has any lasting damage, but the mother-of-two said all Indi’s (pictured) scans look promising
The family are unsure whether she has any lasting damage, but the mother-of-two said all her scans look promising.
While her memory test results show her mind is still functioning properly, Indi has amnesia and cannot recall the moments leading up to the fall, the incident itself, or anything from hospital before waking up a week later.
‘She remembered there was supposed to be a party the night she fell and was asking friends if they had a good time when she woke up, but she doesn’t remember the accident,’ Belinda said.
‘It might come back, but it also might not – it could be because her body doesn’t want to remember.’
Indi is pictured with her friend Bailie from her hospital bed. A headband covers the giant scar from her ear around the middle of her skull
Indi (pictured with friends) used to ski frequently and went to the gym to lift weights on a daily basis
When asked how Indi is feeling, her mother said she is largely emotionless and probably in a state of shock – only smiling when she is asked to.
‘I think she’s a bit sad, or p***ed off,’ Belinda said, adding that she initially felt angry that her daughter tried to make the jump in the first place.
The devoted mother also said that when she sees other girls who are the same age as Indi out and about, she is filled with sadness.
‘I can’t believe it. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. She’s a beautiful, healthy, smart and caring girl – it’s not fair for anyone, especially for someone so young.’
Pictured: Indie (centre) with her grandfather and brother, Lochy, before the accident
Indi (left) is very close with her family and is pictured with her grandparents, mother and brother
Indi, who is a keen skier and used to lift weights at the gym on a daily basis, was going to see what her marks were before figuring out what career to pursue after her gap year.
While she used to like the idea of being a nurse, she now can’t stand the idea of being back in a hospital and is considering sports psychology – after planning to spend Christmas and New Year in hospital.
It is likely Indi will have to make the three-hour trip to Liverpool in Sydney for neurological rehabilitation next year.
To help with relocation and medical costs, the family have set up a Go Fund Me page.
‘All the doctors are amazed every day with her progress, as am I. She truly has shown strength and determination,’ Belinda said.
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