Community comes together for Utah teen critically injured in sledding accident
Jan 6, 2023, 10:42 PM | Updated: 10:48 pm
OREM, Utah — A Utah teen is in the hospital recovering from a critical sledding accident, and she credits the community’s support for helping her recover.
Mckyliee Young, 19, was rushed to the hospital after hitting her head while sledding with friends on Dec. 16 up Rock Canyon Park in Provo.
“So I sat in the tube, and I went down, and I was like, ‘I’m moving really fast,’” Young recalled. “I flipped backward, and then I don’t remember anything after that.”
Her head hit two metal poles near the bottom of the hill, fracturing her skull and spine and breaking 21 ribs, her collarbone, and her scapula. Life-changing injuries from an activity she thought would be harmless.
“I didn’t expect it to go as bad as it did for sure,” Young said. “Sometimes I just get negative thoughts because it’s hard.”
She has undergone three surgeries, including a brain surgery, and is now on a long road to recovery. Her mother, Brittney Grunig, has been by her side in the hospital since the accident.
“I feel really grateful that she has been given a second chance to be with us,” Grunig said. “I am so grateful that she is able to walk, she’s not paralyzed, and she has full function of her brain.”
Young said she did not want to go sledding that day and regrets not going with her gut. She feels her injuries could have been prevented if she did and encourages others to do the same.
“I always feel like the lame person like I don’t want to go…but it’s not a bad thing to say no to things,” Young said.
Her family is just grateful she survived this accident and said the community’s support makes all the difference.
“Without all of the support and the love, I don’t know how I’d be lost,” Grunig expressed.
Friends held a benefit concert at Orem High School on Friday and have been fundraising online*. They raised $7,000 to help with Young’s medical bills.
*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
