Coarsegold, Calif. – On Friday, July 18, 2025, 14-year-old Emma and her mother, Danielle, were driving from their home in Coarsegold to San Francisco to attend a concert by Emma’s favorite band, My Chemical Romance. The mother-daughter trip was to celebrate Emma’s recent graduation from the 8th grade. Danielle had meant for this to be a dream come true for her daughter, yet it took a tragic and nearly deadly turn. While traveling at highway speed, westbound on auxiliary Interstate 580, just east of Altamont Pass, their car was struck by a metal tire rim.

The Accident

The rim smashed through the passenger side of the windshield, striking young Emma directly in the face and the left side of her body. She was immediately knocked unconscious by the blow. After the accident, authorities were unable to determine how or why the rim struck the vehicle. There were no disabled vehicles along that stretch of the freeway, and Danielle could only tell them that the rim had appeared out of nowhere.

Danielle managed to pull the car to safety despite the chaos of the situation. She feared for her daughter’s life, calling 911 while doing her best to stay composed in the face of uncertainty. Her child lay bleeding and unconscious in the seat beside her, mouth hanging slack and eyes open but unfocussed, and she feared that she was watching her daughter’s life slip away.

As she spoke to the emergency dispatcher, attempting to explain what had just happened and provide the location of the accident, she heard Emma ask, “Mom, are you okay?”. This signaled to Danielle that all was not lost and that her daughter was still alive.

The Rescue

The Tracy Fire Department was the first on the scene, and thanks to their heroic efforts, Emma was safely extracted from the vehicle and transported to San Joaquin General Hospital in French Camp, on the outskirts of Stockton.

Emma suffered severe lacerations and blunt force trauma to her face and head, as well as to the left side of her body. At the trauma center, she was intubated and underwent emergency surgery to repair the lacerations and to stop the bleeding. She was then admitted to the ICU, where doctors worked around the clock to stabilize her.

A battery of tests revealed that the rim had struck Emma with such force that it had fractured her skull, resulting in brain bleeding. Additionally, the blow to her body had damaged her liver, but thankfully, the injury did not require surgical intervention.

On Saturday, July 19, 2025, she was stable enough to be transferred to the nearest facility with a pediatric ICU, UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento Campus. There, she has received and continues to receive exceptional care from a team of specialists in neurology, ophthalmology, pediatrics, and surgery.

On Wednesday, July 23, 2025, a team of doctors, led by a skilled neurosurgeon, performed a 9-hour operation to repair Emma’s damaged skull. The operation was a success and went as smoothly as possible.

The Recovery

Emma’s injuries are serious. But her strength, resilience, and determination to heal have been inspiring to everyone around her. She is already sharing dinosaur facts, asking to see family, and dreaming of leaving the hospital. She will have a long road of recovery ahead of her, however, as the doctors are forecasting 6 to 9 months of rehabilitation. She will remain in the hospital until they determine that she can continue her recovery at home.

Thanks in part to the heroic first responders of the Tracy Fire Department, the skilled doctors and nurses of San Joaquin General Hospital, the surgeons and specialists of the UC Davis Pediatric ICU and all of the various professionals who have been involved in her care, Emma will one day be able to finish that trip with Danielle to see her favorite band.

The family would like to extend their deepest gratitude to everyone who has shown such compassion to Emma and her family during this difficult time. They have established a GoFundMe page to raise money for both the family’s needs and Emma’s medical care, the extent of which is still unknown. Her parents have both taken leave from their jobs to spend every moment tending to their beloved daughter. If you would like to donate or learn more about her story, as told by her family, and receive updates on her condition, please visit this link. If you would like to reach out to the family, please do so via the GoFundMe page.

Any funds raised beyond what Emma’s family needs for her recovery will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities to help other families facing medical crises.