Help Emma Heal After a Devastating Car Accident

On Friday, July 18, 2025, 14-year-old Emma and her loving mom, Danielle, were involved in a devastating car accident that changed their lives forever.

The two were driving from their home in Coarsegold, California, to San Francisco for a My Chemical Romance concert — a special mother-daughter trip to celebrate Emma’s 8th-grade graduation. My Chemical Romance is Emma’s favorite band of all time and this trip was supposed to be a complete dream come true. Just east of the Altamont Pass, while happily chatting about dinosaurs (one of Emma’s passions), a metal tire rim flew through the air like a projectile and crashed through their windshield.

The rim struck Emma in the face and left side, immediately knocking her unconscious and leaving her covered in deep cuts and bruises. Danielle somehow managed to pull their car to safety despite the chaos, staying composed as she called 911 and held her daughter’s hand, praying she would live through this. As Emma lay slack, eyes blank and mouth open, Danielle believed she was seeing her daughter’s life slip away. Waiting on the line with the emergency dispatcher seemed like an eternity until Emma whispered, “Mom, are you okay?” signaling to Danielle that her daughter was not lost.

Emma was rushed to the nearest trauma center, intubated, and underwent emergency surgery to repair her facial lacerations. She was then admitted to the ICU, where doctors worked around the clock to stabilize her. A battery of tests revealed that the rim had hit Emma with such force that it had fractured her skull resulting in brain bleeding and severely injured her liver.

On Saturday, she was transferred to UC Davis Medical Center, where she has and continues to receive exceptional care from a team of specialists in neurology, ophthalmology, pediatrics, and surgery. Emma faces a long road ahead, including a skull reconstruction surgery scheduled for Wednesday, July 23 followed by six to nine months of rehabilitation. Her injuries are serious, but her strength, resilience, and determination to heal have been inspiring. She’s already sharing dinosaur facts, asking to see family, and dreaming of leaving the hospital.

We are deeply thankful to the medical teams, firefighters, and everyone who has shown such compassion to Emma and Danielle during this nightmare.

Why We Need Your Help

Emma’s parents, Danielle and Zach, have taken leave from work to be by her side. While they are grateful for the incredible medical teams caring for Emma and for the support of their employers, they are now facing significant and unexpected costs:

-Travel, lodging, and meals while staying near the hospital

-Unforeseen medical expenses and rehabilitation as Emma recovers from her injuries

-Loss of income as they wait for family leave benefits to process

-Household expenses during this critical time

We are asking for your help to ease this financial burden so they can focus entirely on what matters most — Emma’s recovery.

Your generosity will provide the family with the resources they need to stay close to Emma, cover their immediate needs, and take the time required to help her heal.

Every donation, no matter the amount, makes a difference. If you’re unable to donate, please consider sharing this page with your network — and please keep Emma and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

On behalf of Emma, Danielle, Zach, and our entire family, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your love, kindness, and support.

Any funds raised beyond what Emma’s family needs for her recovery will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities, to help other families facing medical crises.

We’ll continue to post updates here as Emma progresses on her healing journey.

With gratitude,

Betsy (Danielle’s sister) & Family