Nikki's Fight For Life

On July 15, 2015 at 9:10 pm, my 17 year old niece Nicole Warnecke's life changed in an instant.  She was a passenger in a vehicle that was struck by a 26 year old female that ran a traffic light.  The vehicle t-boned the car on Nicole's side severely injuring her.  Nikki had to be extricated from the vehicle and was airlifted to the local hospital where she has been in a coma.  In addition to the coma, she suffered a traumatic brain injury (diffuse axonal injury), a lacerated liver, and broke her pelvis in 3 places.  She is young, very strong, and a fighter.  While we are all remaining positive for her, she has a very long struggle ahead.  She is fighting for her life right now.   

She and her family could use your help during this difficult time.  The medical bills for her care are astronomical.  In addition, the costs associated with traveling back and forth to the hospital is only compounding the situation.  

Anything you can do to help this small town family through this horrific ordeal is greatly appreciated.  

An initial news report on the accident is here:  http://monroecountynews.net/%E2%80%8Btwo-seriously-injured-in-two-car-accident-at-busy-columbia-intersection%E2%80%8B/

A follow-up news report is here:  http://monroecountynews.net/two-teens-recovering-from-injuries-in-columbia-accident/

Please bear with me.  I have never used GoFundMe before so I am new to this.  I will do my best to answer everyone's questions in a timely manner.  I had one person ask where they could mail a donation earlier today.  Just in case anyone else is wondering ...

Donations can be mailed directly to:

Village Bank
600 South Van Buren
New Athens, Il 62264
Attn: Nicole Warnecke Fund

Any checks mailed to the Village Bank should be made payable to the: Nicole Warnecke Fund

I would like to thank everyone that has donated so far.  The family is very touched by your generosity.  

Additional information on Nicole:

Nicole is a talented banjo player and song writer with the Pickin' Chicks, a Bluegrass / Country / Gospel band. They have performed at Silver Dollar City, Bluegrass festivals, homecomings, nursing homes, private parties, and other events.

The Pickin' Chicks FaceBook page is here:  https://www.facebook.com/pickinchicks?fref=ts

Their website is here:  www.pickinchicks.com 

Be sure to watch for updates on Nikki's progress.