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A woman who was seriously injured during a parasailing accident in Mexico was sent back to California Tuesday night for further treatment.
When Katie Malone visited Puerto Vallarta earlier this month, she thought that adventure would be the perfect way to celebrate her 29th birthday on June 8th. Unfortunately, Malone decided to do 10 minutes of parasailing, his brother Brendan Malone told people.
After Katie took off on the parasailing despite an approaching storm and high winds, the boat towing her returned. The cable that kept Katie and the parasail connected to the ship was cut off when the boat rolled over, leaving her at the mercy of strong winds.
Brendan says the men in charge of the skydiving boat took off quickly while his sister drifted helplessly hundreds of feet in the air. Katie was carried for 45 terrifying minutes on the Mexican coast.
"We are more than dissatisfied," says Brendan, 31, of Nashville, Tennessee. "These guys left the scene of the crime." They turned the boat over and put it back in the ocean and bailed out while my sister floated.
After almost an hour, Katie crashed at the Puerto Vallarta airport, landing next to an alligator who miraculously left her alone, says Brendan. She sustained serious injuries, including facial cuts, broken pelvis and skull, four broken ribs, and a collapsed, bleeding lung.
On June 23, doctors used titanium, mesh and 14 screws to repair Katie's broken jaw, cheek and face. While the surgeries have been successful, Katie – who comes from San Diego – suffers from complications with her pituitary gland, a tiny organ located at the base of the brain that produces important hormones.
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Brendan says Mexican doctors have suggested that they move Katie to the US to be treated by specialists, and she was flown to San Diego Tuesday night, where she was greeted by her father before 39 to be sent to the UCSD Medical Center.
"She's just the most positive person," says her sister Brendan. "She makes you feel very welcome, gives you the impression of being a friend for many years, even though you've met her. She's just amazing."
The doctors are sure that Katie will recover completely, even if she should not walk again for months.
"She's getting a lot better now than she's back in the United States," says Brendan. "She has a whole new perspective on everything, she is very encouraged and full of smiles to be back here – it's really helped."
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The family recently set up a GoFundMe page to help Katie's skyrocketing medical bills, which Brendan said hit $ 43,000. Katie also faces months of recovery, which will make her unable to work.
"The community is a reality, and it still exists," says Brendan about the hundreds of donors who helped the family during this difficult time. "These are the people who make the neighborhood with others, and if you are better with your neighbor, you will have better neighbors. That's how Katie is, and that's how we were raised, to be there for everyone. "
When asked if the family would sue the parascending company, Brendan declined to comment.
For the moment, he is focusing on the recovery of his sister, having flown from Nashville to Mexico, then to San Diego, to be with his sister.
"She is a miracle, she is progressing much faster than most people expected, at many levels," says Brendan. "She's great, she's a fighter, and she does not give up."
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