Dad hoping victim lives till birthday

The father of a 15-year-old girl fighting for her life after a crash that killed her sister is hoping she makes it to her ‘‘sweet 16’’ tomorrow.

Ashburton teenager Sunmara Alexander was in a car with her older sister, Tayla, when it crashed on Summit Rd on Christchurch’s Port Hills on November 27. The pair had been with at least two other people in the car, which caught fire after the crash, killing Tayla, 17.

Their father, Jason Alexander, said last night Sunmara was still fighting, but things were ‘‘not good’’. She had an arm amputated on Tuesday in Auckland Hospital in a bid to stop infection spreading and further surgery yesterday, he said on social media.

The skin grafts taken from her body were not ‘‘holding and taking place’’, he said. ‘‘Her infection isn’t getting any worse but also isn’t getting any better.’’

The next step would be to take her arm from the shoulder, as well as a foot, however, doctors could not say how far up her leg they would need to amputate, he said. A decision on whether to remove the other foot had not yet been made. Infected muscle was also cut away from Sunmara’s back, he said.

Doctors talked to Alexander yesterday afternoon and gave it to him ‘‘pretty straight’’. They said they couldn’t keep amputating and taking muscle, he said.

The extent of her brain injury was also not yet known.

‘‘She’s really sick and they are now looking at the point of there’s nothing more they can do.’’

Doctors had to decide whether or not to keep operating. He said he hoped they waited until tomorrow to make the decision. ‘‘I’m so gutted and if it comes to that I hope they at least wait till Friday so my baby can at least make it to her so-called sweet 16.’’

Sunmara, who suffered burns to half of her body in the crash, was on strong antibiotics to fight the infection but that was compromising her already damaged kidney, he said. The doctors were doing their best but could only do so much, he said. ‘‘It breaks me to say this, I pray she proves them wrong and continues the fight.’’

At Tayla’s funeral in Ashburton on Thursday last week, Alexander forgave the 19-year-old who was driving the car when it crashed.