Meika Pokarier, a 16-year-old girl from the Gold Coast, was killed in a car crash on Thursday while travelling to Melbourne with her mother and younger sister for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert.
Meika Pokarier, a 16-year-old girl from the Gold Coast, was killed in a car crash on Thursday while travelling to Melbourne with her mother and younger sister for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert.
Mieka Pokarier, 16, her mother and 10-year-old sister were partway through the 17-hour road trip from the Gold Coast to Melbourne on Thursday when their car collided with a semi-trailer truck along a regional road about 30km north-east of Dubbo, NSW.
The teenager died at the scene, while her 10-year-old sister was left critically injured. She was transported to Sydney’s Westmead Hospital and placed in an induced coma while she undergoes treatment.
The mother of the two girls and the truck driver also endured minor injuries in the crash and were taken to a local hospital in Dubbo for treatment.
Karleigh Fox, the godmother of the two sisters, said the younger sister was clinging to life after breaking her leg, damaging her pelvis and receiving significant brain injuries.
Taylor Swift performed at Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 16 to the biggest crowd of her career. Photo / Getty Images
Fox said that the family’s father and the girls’ older sister rushed to Sydney from the Gold Coast as soon as they were able to. Now, with the girls’ mother, the family are waiting by the younger sister’s bedside in hospital to support her as she fights for her life, as reported by The Age.
“We are keeping our girl in an induced coma for a few more days in order to give her body a chance to stay still and hopefully recover as much as possible,” Fox said.
“We are playing her favourite Taylor Swift album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), on repeat in her room and telling her about the merch we are seeing people buying online.”
Fox explained how the family were making the “road trip of a lifetime” to see Taylor Swift at both her Melbourne and Sydney shows.
“Hold your loved ones a little longer, look them in the eyes and tell them how beautiful they are to you,” Fox said.
Taylor Swift performs at Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 16, 2024. Photo / Getty Images
Cheyenne Craig, 17, said that her friend Mieka was “taken way too early” and wished that there was a way that she could trade places with the late teenager.
Craig explained how Meika “had so many plans for the future” and was in the process of learning how to drive.
“Mieka, oh what a beautiful beacon of light you were, I never though I’d have to imagine going to your house and you not being fast asleep in your bed or having to tell you to hurry up or we’re leaving you behind,” Craig posted on social media.
“How is it fair that someone as sweet and beautiful as you was taken away from us so soon?”
A fundraiser aiming to support Meika’s family through this tragic time was set up on GoFundMe on Friday. The fundraiser has since raised more than $26,000 as of Sunday morning.
