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Teen rescued after golf cart accident
FOX 13's Carla Bayron reports.
LAKELAND, Fla. - A teenager in Polk County is celebrating her birthday in the hospital after a serious accident that left her underneath a 900-pound golf cart.
The backstory:
One second, Lizette Vega was celebrating her 17th birthday with her five friends, riding on her family's golf cart through her Eagle Lake neighborhood Saturday afternoon.
"She turned it so hard, and it was like slow motion," Vega said. "It started falling, and I'm thinking, I'm going to die here."
The 900 pound golf cart was crushing her neck, and she couldn't breathe. Two of her friends, a 17-year-old who didn't want to be identified, and Nyemah Johnson, 15, helped lift the cart off of Vega.
"I don't even know [how we did it], we just lifted it up," said Johnson. "I'm just very thankful she's still here with us. It could've been way worse than it was, and we're just very blessed she's okay."
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Vega was taken to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center where she received surgery after suffering a broken femur. She now has permanent metal rods in her hip and leg.
What they're saying:
She won't be able to do the things she loves until she's fully healed, like wrestling or flag football. She's also missing her ROTC promotion.
"Listen to your parents, because they're never wrong when they say stuff," said Vega. "My mom was like, 'don't let anybody ride it,' and 'don't do that,' and I didn't listen to her and look."
It's a tough pill to swallow, but Vega said she's glad none of her friends were hurt.
"It was bad, but I'm glad I'm the only one who got hurt because, at the end of the day, it was my golf cart, and I'll take getting hurt over anybody else getting hurt," she said.
What's next:
If Vega is feeling better, she'll be released from the hospital by the end of the day on Tuesday. If she's not, then she may be released on Wednesday.
The Source: This article was written with information from Lizette Vega, the victim of the accident, and her friend, Nyemah Johnson.