“She was really brave”: Idaho teenager miraculously survives accident.

ROBERTS, Idaho — A 16-year-old Idaho girl is at home recovering after being involved in a car crash that left her with several injuries, including a broken neck.

Aleah Orr lives in Rigby but is a student at Madison High School in Rexburg. On May 12, Mother's Day and her mother's birthday, Aleah decided to go fishing. Her mother, Sarah Orr, told EastIdahoNews.com that her daughter loved to fish and was heading to the Mike Walker Pier in Roberts when the accident happened.

“She missed her turn, and her (GPS) maps beeped and said she missed her turn, and she looked at her maps,” Orr said. “The next thing she knew, she hit the guardrail – and the speed limit there is 55, so it’s a high speed – and (flipped her car) about 50 feet…she landed a few feet from the river.”

During the accident, the driver's seat fell flat. Aleah was lying in her seat but a little to the right, and her neck and head were pressed against the back of the back seat. She was stuck inside with her seat belt on; A piece of the car was on top of her, and her headrest came loose and ended up next to her head.

“She couldn't get out. She said that was the scariest part,” Orr said. “She was screaming for help and trying to get up, but she couldn’t.”

A young couple driving behind Aleah noticed a cloud of dust, looked down and saw Aleah's car and called 911. During this time, Orr received an accident notification on his phone warning him to the accident because she is Aleah's emergency contact.

Orr called her daughter three times and, when she got no answer, she got in her car and called 911 on the way to the dock.

“(Dispatch) said there was a report of an accident,” Orr recalled. “My first question was, 'Was there one or two cars?' And my second question was: “Is she in the river?”

On the way to the stage, an unknown number called Orr. The woman on the other end explained that she was with Aleah and was awake and talking.

“She was very calm, which helped me think, 'OK, it's not that bad,' but when I got there and saw the condition of the car, my heart sank. broken,” Orr, who is also a firefighter and paramedic for the Madison Fire Department, said. “I have seen fewer accidents causing more damage or costing people their lives.”

“I think being stuck in the car was a blessing because of her injury,” Orr said. “If she had gotten up, she could have done more damage or ultimately paralyzed herself, in the worst case.”

Aleah ended up breaking her neck in two places, dissected her left vertebral artery, suffered a pulmonary contusion, lacerations to her head and a broken left hand. She was taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center before being flown to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City to meet with a specialist and undergo surgery.

“Something to do with the cervix, the higher the fracture, the worse possible consequences of being quadriplegic, unable to breathe, being on a ventilator for the rest of your life,” Orr explained. “With the initial imaging, the doctor said, 'She's so lucky. (There's) maybe some bruising on her spinal cord, and that's why her limbs are weak right now.'”

Aleah's vertebral artery straightened after doctors straightened her spine and fused it. She had four pins and four fused cervical vertebrae. She was up and walking two days after surgery and was released from the hospital Friday.

“(She handles it) like a champ,” Orr said. “She's been really brave throughout this whole thing and grateful to be alive and able to use her limbs. It's a hard lesson to learn. Even if it's just Google Maps, it can still divert your attention to new drivers.”

Orr is very grateful that her daughter is still here with her, as the last year and a half has been difficult for the Orr family. During this time, Orr's husband died, her husband's best friend, whom her children grew up calling him uncle, died, and her nephew recently died.

“(Aleah) said her cousin got behind the wheel and said, 'Wait, cousin,' and her dad wrapped his wings around her and kept her safe,” Orr said. “She said she said a prayer before anyone arrived and after she finished saying the prayer she knew everything was going to be okay.”

Orr would like to thank everyone who has shown support, encouragement and love to his family during this difficult time.

“It’s amazing how much support you actually have when things go wrong and I appreciate it,” she added.

Aleah's friends have started a GoFundMe to help cover medical costs and anything necessary for aftercare.

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