A CENTRAL Victorian teen is facing a long recovery, after a crash in which she suffered devastating injuries.
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Jordan Ferguson received extensive injuries when the car she was driving hit a tree near St Arnaud in early March, on her way to work.
The crash left the 18-year-old with a broken femur, two broken vertebrae, and damage to her small and large intestines. She was airlifted to Melbourne, where medical staff put her in an induced coma.
It was just a week after the Ararat teenager first obtained her drivers' licence.
Ms Ferguson was weeks into a long-dreamt of apprenticeship as a carpenter.
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A GoFundMe set up to support the teen through her recovery has already raised more than $3000.
Dad Hayden Crawford said Ms Ferguson was now recuperating after several surgeries, but recovery would be a long process.
Ms Ferguson is facing months in hospital or a rehabilitation centre, as she learns to walk again. She may never recover completely, but her family is hoping for the best.
The weeks since the crash have been tough.
Mr Crawford said it was hard to stay strong for Ms Ferguson, with pressures such as running a business.
"The doctors said yesterday she's a fighter, and she's ahead of where they thought she'd be," Mr Crawford said.
"That's good news, but mentally it's really really hard, she rings me all the time breaking down, and we've got to be strong on the other end."
But Mr Crawford said Ms Ferguson would be unable to live at the family's present home, an old pub with difficult stairs, so the family would need to find new housing for her.
He said the community's response to support Ms Ferguson, through the GoFundMe, had been brilliant.
Mr Crawford said the funds raised would help family and friends be at Ms Ferguson's side while in hospital.
He said any remaining money would be used to support her new housing needs and raise awareness of fatigue.
Mr Crawford said the crash highlighted that something needed to be done to raise awareness of fatigue for the younger generation.
He urged anyone thinking of driving fatigued not to get behind the wheel of a car.
"It'd be much better to take the day off work if you know that you've had no sleep the night before, than put your body behind the wheel," Mr Crawford said.
"Not only are you putting yourself at risk, but you're putting everyone else at risk."
A GoFundMe for Jordan Ferguson is available online at: bit.ly/2NLlovN
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