Taylor Swift fan, 16, killed in car crash on the way to pop star's Eras concert in Australia
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 16: EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO BOOK COVERS Taylor Swift performs at Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 16, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
A young fan of Taylor Swift was killed in a car accident while she was on the way to the pop star's Friday night concert in Melbourne, Australia.
Mieka Pokarier, 16, her 10-year-old sister Freya and their mother Kim Litchfield had embarked on a 17-hour road trip from the city of Gold Coast to attend the 34-year-old singer's Eras Tour show when their SUV collided with a semi-trailer on Thursday according to the Australia's Herald Sun.
Emergency crews responded to reports of a two-vehicle crash around 6 p.m. near Dubbo, New South Wales.
The teenage girl died at the scene and her younger sister, who suffered brain injuries, a broken leg and a damaged pelvis, was flown to Sydney's Westmead Hospital where she was placed in an induced coma and remains in critical condition, per the outlet.
The girl's mother suffered minor injuries and received treatment from paramedics before she was taken to Dubbo Hospital. The driver of the semi-trailer was also transported to Dubbo Hospital and is in stable condition, per The Australian.
Mieka and Freya's godmother Karleigh Fox told the New York Post that the girls were excited about seeing Swift perform and had tickets to her concerts in Melbourne and Sydney.
Fox created a GoFundMe page for the family which has already received over $25,000 donations.
"Last night one of my dearest friends was driving from the Gold Coast to Melbourne with two of her children (my god children) when they were involved in a front on collision with a semi trailer," she wrote.
Fox continued, "We are heartbroken to have lost one of her children (aged 16) whilst the 10 year old has been lifted to Westmead Hospital in critical condition, fighting for her life with brain injuries, a damaged pelvis and broken leg."
"The family have all had to cease work to fly down and I’m trying to get a flight to support the Mum as she’s alone in Dubbo until we can get her to Sydney. Funds will be used to function in this challenging time," she added.
"We are also seeking accomodation which is hard to find in Sydney at the moment due to the Swifty influx of anyone knows anything.
Thank you for your support. This was supposed to be a road trip of a life time with them going to concerts in both Melbourne and Sydney," Fox concluded.
In later updates, Fox said that she had traveled from Gold Coast to Sydney to support the family. She wrote that Litchfield had flown from Dubbo to Sydney where she was reunited with Freya at the hospital.
"It was very emotional," she wrote of the reunion. "We are playing her favourite Taylor Swift album ‘1989 Taylor’s Version’ on repeat in her room and telling her about the merch we are seeing people buying on line."
Fox explained that Freya would remain in a medically-induced coma for a few more days as she recovers.
"We had some thorough chats with the incredible doctors about the potential prognosis and we are not out of the woods yet with risks of swelling in the brain and infection still evident. This could still be life threatening," she wrote.
Fox also expressed her gratitude to the hospital staff, the family's supportive network of friends and donors who had contributed to the GoFundMe.
On Friday night, Swift performed in front of 96,000 fans at her sold-out concert at Melbourne’s Cricket Ground.
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The "Blank Space" hitmaker is set for two additional shows at the venue on Feb. 17 and Feb.18. Next weekend, she is scheduled for four back to back shows from Feb. 23 to Feb. 26 at Sydney's Accor Stadium.
The fatal crash comes three months after a fan died at Swift's concert amid record heat in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
Ana Clara Benevides Machado was identified as the fan who died during Swift's November opening Eras tour concert in the South American country. The 23-year-old fainted at the Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium and later died.
Swift shared a handwritten note on social media in which she wrote that she was "devastated" to learn of Benevides' death.
"I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show. I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this," she wrote on Instagram at the time. "There’s very little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young."
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"I’m not going to be able to speak about this from stage because I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it. I want to say now I feel this loss deeply and my broken heart goes out to her family and friends. This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil," Swift added.
The following day, Swift's second concert in Rio de Janeiro was postponed due to "extreme temperatures."
Swift met with Benevides' family at the Nov. 26 "Eras Tour" stop in São Paulo. The singer-songwriter also performed "Bigger Than the Whole Sky" as a surprise song after Benevides' death. The song features lyrics such as "Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye/You were bigger than the whole sky/You were more than just a short time."
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In December, Rio's Forensic Medical Institute listed heat exhaustion as the cause of Benevides' death.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Swift's representative for comment.
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