Community coming to aid of injured child

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An 11-year-old Taber girl had to be transported to Calgary Children’s Hospital Saturday night, from Lethbridge, due to a setback of injuries she sustained last week when she was struck by a truck while riding her bike.

Just before 3:30 p.m. last Thursday, Leelyn Mike was riding her bike on 57th Street in Taber when she was hit by a Ford F-150 and suffered a broken hip.

The driver stopped, was visibly shaken, and was looking for the mom, said Rob Turner. He and his wife Jamie manage the apartment building where Mike and her mother Julia Worme live, and where the incident took place. Turner was also the first responder on scene.

“I was in the back doing yard work and heard one of my tenants yelling. I walked out front to see what was going on because it was just unusual and he pointed to me that the young girl got hit,” said Turner, who visited the family in Lethbridge earlier on Saturday.

He said Mike was in good spirits.

“We’ve now just recently found out that she has blood clots in her lower skull and down her spine. They’re hoping that it’s not going to go any further than that, we’re hoping at this point, but we’re not sure if she’ll need another surgery.”

Mike was in stable condition on Sunday, Turner added. The Turners, meanwhile, have launched a fundraising effort to help the affected family deal with associated costs, so Worme can stay with her daughter. The couple is collecting monetary donations or items such as gas cards or grocery cards.

“Anything and everything anybody can afford at this point. We have no idea how long she’s going to be in the hospital,” Turner said.

“I see these kids every day when I’m out. I consider most of the tenants here kind of like extended family. If it was my kid, I’d be wanting to be at the hospital and not having to worry about work. We’re doing this to help the family.”

People wanting to help can contact Turner through links on various Taber Facebook pages, on his personal page, or by calling him at 403-593-0639. Jamie Turner can also be reached at 403-593-1847, or items can be dropped off to 5205 57 Street, Unit 4, in Taber.

There is no indication of any charges to the driver.

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