A Washington high school senior is fighting to recover from a devastating brain injury after being thrown through the open sunroof of a speeding car during a reckless parking lot stunt.
Elexis Robinson, 17, suffered three brain bleeds and a fractured skull after a teenage driver made a sharp turn, sending her flying out of the vehicle and onto the pavement.
Nearly two weeks later, Elexis remains hospitalized, sleeping most of the day and struggling to remember even the most basic information, including her own name.
For her mother, Alicha Linares, the sudden transformation of her once-thriving daughter has been almost impossible to comprehend.
The horrifying accident occurred around 8:20 p.m. on November 3 in a parking lot at 850 SE 192nd Avenue in Vancouver, Washington, just across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon.
According to the Vancouver Police Department, Elexis was standing with her upper body through the vehicle’s open sunroof while another 17-year-old girl drove at high speeds through the parking lot.
When the driver suddenly made a sharp turn, Elexis lost her balance and was thrown from the moving vehicle, striking the pavement.
Officers responding to reports of an injured person discovered the teenager lying on the ground. She was rushed to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Doctors determined that Elexis had suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, three brain bleeds and a skull fracture.
Although she survived the initial impact, her recovery has been far from certain.
Her mother told Portland television station KGW that Elexis now spends much of her time sleeping and frequently wakes up confused and disoriented. At times, she struggles to remember her name or understand what is happening around her.
The injuries have left her family facing difficult questions about whether she will fully regain her memory and cognitive abilities.
Doctors have warned that it could take six months to a year to understand the full extent of her recovery, according to additional reporting.
The tragedy is especially heartbreaking because Elexis was preparing to celebrate one of the biggest milestones of her young life.
A high school senior described by her family as intelligent, compassionate and hardworking, she was on track to graduate with honors and had already begun looking forward to the future.
Her mother said Elexis was just two credits away from graduating.
Now, instead of preparing for graduation, the teenager faces an uncertain road of medical treatment and rehabilitation.
In a GoFundMe campaign established to help cover her medical expenses, Linares described the overwhelming fear of watching her daughter endure such serious injuries.
“There are simply no words to describe the fear, heartbreak and helplessness of watching your child endure something so devastating,” she wrote.
The mother described Elexis as a kindhearted young woman with dreams and ambitions she had worked hard to achieve.
“She has an entire future ahead of her, dreams waiting to be fulfilled, and so much life left to live,” Linares added.
Speaking with KGW, Linares admitted she was stunned to learn what her daughter had been doing when the accident happened.
She described Elexis as one of her most responsible children, someone she trusted completely and never imagined would participate in such a dangerous stunt.
“She is the one out of my six that I would trust her with my life,” Linares said.
The mother believes a newer friendship may have influenced her daughter’s decision-making, although she acknowledged that both teenagers were responsible for their actions.
Despite the devastating consequences, Linares has expressed mixed feelings about whether the teenage driver should face criminal punishment, saying she does not want another young person’s future destroyed by the incident.
Vancouver police have not announced any charges against the driver. The department’s Traffic Unit is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Meanwhile, Elexis’s family remains focused on helping her recover.
The GoFundMe campaign is raising money for her ongoing medical care, rehabilitation and other expenses as her loved ones prepare for what could be a lengthy recovery.
Linares hopes sharing her daughter’s story will serve as a warning to other teenagers who may underestimate the dangers of risky behavior behind the wheel.
She said young people often believe they are invincible, without realizing how quickly a moment of excitement can turn into a life-altering tragedy.
For Elexis, an ordinary evening with friends ended with injuries that could change the course of her life. Her family is now holding on to hope that she will regain her strength, recover her memories and eventually return to the future she had worked so hard to build.
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