Family overwhelmed by support
A six-year-old girl run over by a truck is having nightmares in her hospital bed, but doesn’t remember the incident.
She is on the improve and is making promising progress as her long recovery begins.
Lani Rongokea, 6, was struck near the intersection of Katene St and Park Rd in the Palmerston North suburb of West End just after 10am on Thursday.
She was rushed to Palmerston North Hospital before being transferred to Starship children’s hospital in Auckland with a fractured skull, collapsed lungs and internal bleeding. She later had her spleen removed.
On Monday, her mother Debbie Rongokea said Lani still did not remember the incident.
‘‘She’s been having a few nightmares. She doesn’t remember it and she doesn’t want to talk about it.’’
Lani’s health was improving. She was breathing by herself and was being taken for an X-ray on Monday to assess her lungs.
‘‘At the moment they are just focusing on her lungs, which seem to be going really good.’’
Lani’s family were unsure when they would be coming home, but her progress had been promising, Rongokea said. ‘‘She is doing really good breathing. ‘‘She’s doing a little bit of sitting up, so hopefully in the next week they might be able to sit her up. ‘‘So everything is going good.’’ Rongokea was hopeful Lani would keep improving and she would be home to see her other children soon. ‘‘I miss my babies back in Palmy.’’ Her partner, Sione Tupou, was also up in Auckland with her, so her children were staying with other family in Palmerston North.
‘‘My mum told me a lot of people have gone and dropped food off where my children are. ‘‘I’m just so overwhelmed. ‘‘The amount of support people have given just blows me away. ‘‘I don’t even know what to say.’’ People had contacted her through her Facebook to show their support. ‘‘They were just wishing us well.’’ Knowing people were sending them well-wishes and looking after their children in Palmerston North was a blessing, she said.
‘‘With so many other people helping and caring, it’s one less thing we are stressing about.’’
Rongokea said her other children seemed to be coping OK.
‘‘They seemed a little better... so that’s good.
‘‘It makes it a bit easier being away, which makes it OK, but it will be good to see their faces.’’
A witness said Lani went ‘‘completely underneath [the truck] from one end to another’’ during the incident.
City council worker Rawiri Royal, who was at the scene and knows first aid, went to help Lani after seeing other bystanders pull her off the road.
‘‘I took over and put her in recovery position.’’