A spaghetti dinner fund-raiser to help the Oxford girl who crashed into the side of a truck back in late August is being held from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28 at the Oxford Hills Golf and Country Club.
Mariah Mapes, a sixth-grader at Oxford Middle School, was riding her bicycle by Choo Choo’s Chocolate in the village when she lost control, went off the sidewalk and hit the rear quarter panel of a truck traveling north on M-24.
She shattered her pelvis, lower vertebrae, tail bone and right hip, according to her mother, Pam Mapes, who works at Harvest Time Farm Market, which is sponsoring the dinner.
‘She’s doing better,? said Pam, noting her daughter’s still using a wheelchair to get around.
Mariah should begin physical therapy in four weeks, but even then she’s still going to need the assistance of a wheelchair for quite a while before she can walk on her own again.
Since her daughter’s medical bills are being covered by insurance, Pam would like to use the money generated by next week’s fund-raiser to help purchase a wheelchair accessible vehicle.
‘My truck broke down while she was in the hospital and I ended up having to get rid of it. It was 15 years old,? Pam explained. ‘So we’re trying to find a wheelchair accessible van. That’s what we really need, then she could get out more.?
Admission to the spaghetti dinner fund-raiser is $8 for adults and $4 for kids age 10 and under. Donations are being accepted at Harvest Time.
Pam said her daughter still ‘beats herself up? over the accident because ‘she was where she wasn’t supposed to be.?
Whenever she wants to ride or walk along a busy road like M-24 or Burdick, Mariah’s parents have always made it clear she needs to be with an adult.
‘There’s so much traffic, it takes less than a minute for something to happen. Some of these sidewalks are so close to the road, it doesn’t take much (to end up in the street),? Pam said. ‘She knows she was in the wrong place, but she’s handling it. She’s okay.?
Pam reminds her daughter not to ‘dwell on things, but learn from it.?
‘If we tell you to avoid certain roads, there’s a reason,? she said.