KEY POINTS:
A 13-year-old girl injured in a New Year's Eve beach accident that killed her best friend is recovering from surgery to fix her shattered pelvis.
Claudia Billinge had a 5 1/2-hour operation at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland on Sunday afternoon during which surgeons rebuilt her pelvis and fractured left leg socket.
Claudia's father, Mark Billinge, yesterday told the Herald the surgery had taken longer than expected and she was still feeling pretty groggy after the ordeal.
However, she was in good spirits and looking forward to returning home to Tauranga this week.
It was possible she could be back in Tauranga by tomorrow and discharged from hospital by next week, he said.
Claudia and best friend Daisy Fernandez were playing on a Northland beach about 9.30pm on New Year's Eve when a motocross bike hit them. Claudia also suffered a broken right leg in the accident.
Daisy died of her injuries early on New Year's Day. She was buried in Tauranga on Friday.
Mr Billinge said there was an 80 per cent chance Claudia's pelvis would heal thoroughly, and any problems would probably show up in the next 12 months.
Either way, she faced the prospect of extensive rehabilitation after she left hospital, he said.
The 15-year-old rider of the unregistered motocross bike that hit the girls told the Herald last week that he thought he had hit a log.
He said he had no headlight and was not looking straight ahead when the accident happened at Glinks Gully, 17km southwest of Dargaville. He did not know how fast he was travelling.
A decision on whether the boy will be prosecuted has yet to be made, Detective Inspector Mike Pannett of Northland police said yesterday.
