Long road to recovery for injured girl

Ava Hurst has come back from the "doors of death", says her father, Adrian Hurst.

The man who fought desperately to save his two-year-old daughter's life on a North Canterbury roadside after a head-on smash fights back tears as he recalls those terrifying minutes and the anguish that followed.

But he says his daughter is "doing all right" despite suffering traumatic brain injuries, a serious neck injury that required a neck fusion, a fractured collarbone, pulmonary contusions and an eye injury.

"We are not sure what the final outcome is going to be. I think she will be all right, but we have our ups and downs," he said.

The family members were driving home to Waikuku from an unplanned trip to a Rangiora supermarket at 5.50pm on March 25 when a car smashed into them in Gressons Road.

Ava's mother, Nikki Thomson, was left trapped and gasping for breath.

When Hurst turned to look at Ava in her car-seat, she was not breathing.

His training as a Rangiora St John Ambulance volunteer kicked in and he was able to ventilate Ava's limp body after removing her from the vehicle.

Hurst knew it was bad because her breathing was noisy and he had to breathe for her.

"Then holy hell broke loose with the arrival of the ambulance and fire brigade," he said.

One of Hurst's friends, a paramedic, was in the ambulance crew, and Thomson's brother was in the fire engine.

Ava was flown to Christchurch Hospital, where doctors worked to stabilise her.

Her tiny head had "almost become detached from her shoulders" with injuries similar to that suffered by babies who are shaken, said Hurst.

At 6am the following day she was flown to Starship Hospital in Auckland while Thomson, who suffered a punctured lung, flew up separately to be near her daughter.

A stabilising halo was applied to Ava's head and neck after a scan revealed her spinal cord was not severed.

This immobilised Ava for 12 weeks, six of which were spent at Starship.

A shunt, which will remain with Ava for the rest of her life, was inserted during brain surgery to assist drainage.

When the halo was removed, Ava had no strength in her neck or torso.

"She was like a baby again," Hurst said.

It could take two years for Ava to recover.

Hurst said her personality was returning, she could pick things up, was starting to walk, could count to 10 and had a strong vocabulary, although her voice was weak.

This week, Ava unexpectedly returned to hospital because she was off-colour but was expected home by late yesterday.

Thomson was eight weeks pregnant when they crashed and is due to have their second child in October.

Hurst said he held no "animosity" towards Benjamin Farquhar, who drove into them.

"It wasn't intentional. I know he is very remorseful and it is something he has to live with as well," he said.

Judge Murray Abbott said in the Rangiora District Court last week that sunstrike was a factor in the crash, but not the only one.

He fined Farquhar, 20, of Amberley, $750 and disqualified him from driving for nine months.

Farquhar had admitted four charges of careless driving.

He was also ordered to pay reparation of $2237 to each of Ava's parents.

Hurst said he wanted people to realise the consequences of "hooning around".

"I am not on a crusade, but it is amazing how things change in a split second," he said.

Hurst said that if Ava's car-seat had been facing backwards – as required in some countries – it may have prevented such serious injuries.

- © Fairfax NZ News