A traumatic 20-foot fall at a Vancouver Island park has left a toddler in hospital indefinitely as she recovers from serious injuries, including a fractured skull.
Last Saturday afternoon, three-year-old Sophia was enjoying the sunshine at Ladysmith’s Transfer Beach alongside her dad David Taylor and her siblings.
As David was setting up a picnic lunch, Sophia darted for a railing and slipped through, falling straight onto a concrete pad surrounding the waterpark below.
At the time, Sophia’s mom, Selina Taylor, was back at the family’s Crofton home. In an interview with Victoria Buzz, Selina recalls her initial reactions as her husband notified her of the incident.
“Of course, he was hysterical, and I could barely understand what he was saying. So I asked him to send me his location, and the hardest part was the car ride there,” Selina said.
“Not knowing really anything other than she hit her head, and that it was really, really bad. I was crying the entire way there, asking God not to take her away from me.”
When Selina pulled up to the park, David ran over to her.
“What I thought I heard him say was that they had put a blanket over her, and she’s gone. I just broke down crying and couldn’t imagine life without her,” Selina said.
“Once I composed myself a bit, I asked if the paramedics had declared her. He immediately took my face and was like, ‘Oh my god, no. She’s still with us. She hasn’t gone yet. She’s not dead.'”
“And the relief was just overwhelming.”
Sophia was quickly flown to Vancouver Children’s Hospital, where she remains and is in “a lot of pain,” according to Selina.
“She rubs her eyes because they were very swollen. They were swollen shut before, but the swelling has gone down considerably.”
Doctors aren’t sure when Sophia will be released or the extent of her injuries, Selina says. She notes that they’re “taking it day by day.”
“Since Wednesday, she has opened both eyes. She has said a few words; she sat up all by herself. We’re starting to feed her solid food. She has a feeding tube through her nose, so that is just staying in there while she’s not eating a whole lot.”
After waking up, Selina says she and her husband were comforted by Sophia’s first words, “Daddy” and “I love you.”
GoFundMe launched for the family:
Due to the seriousness of the incident, David is off work. Selina’s a stay-at-home mom, and the couple is concerned about costly changes that may occur at home to assist Sophia in her potential limitations.
Three days ago, Selina launched a GoFundMe—Aid in Sophia’s recovery—to raise funds for her family. As of Friday afternoon, close to 700 people have come together to raise nearly $40,000.
“We are so blessed and grateful and just overwhelmed with their kindness,” Selina said, noting there’s no pressure to donate.
“If you send your prayers and well wishes towards her, that is all we could ever ask for.”
New railing to be installed, says Selina:
According to Selina, the railing Sophia fell through was installed in 2005. At that time, it was up to code.
“Ladysmith’s mayor had already looked into this, and it was confirmed that the railing is no longer up to code,” Selina said.
“They have already put some plastic fencing around it to prevent anyone else from slipping through it. I know that they’ve ordered the proper railing to go around that.”
Selina isn’t sure what else is being done about the situation, but she says that Mayor Aaron Stone has been “absolutely phenomenal.”
“He reached out to us personally, has given us his private number and said for us to call him whenever we need him,” she added.
