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Injured Barrie girl home for Easter

Community outpouring eases the pressure on young Barrie family
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It is already a Happy Easter for the Barker family of Barrie.

They have their 6-year-old daughter Scarlet home from Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital recovering after being hit by an E-bike.

Her parents Gregory Barker and mother Kellie Spicer are now thanking the community for its outpouring of generosity and support.

Scarlet was injured March 20 when an adult woman on an E-bike came around a sharp bend on Sydenham Wells Road and struck the child.

Her father was just arriving home at the time of the incident and saw his daughter and two neighbourhood friends playing. He caught movement in his rearview mirror.

“I just saw her lying in the middle of the road, picked her up, put her in the car and took her to the hospital. I really don’t remember much after that until they transferred Scarlet, around midnight, to Sick Kids in Toronto.”

Barker explains “She had a leg fracture in two places requiring a hard cast. Her eyes were swollen shut and there were fractures to her face and a lot of bruising. Her nose was broken. At the time doctors were worried about internal bleeding. This week, we had a follow up and doctors are hoping her body will just heal on its own.”

A neighbour started a GoFundMe account with a goal of $5,000. To date, it has collected almost $12,000.

Barker who is a Georgian College student and his wife, who is self employed, will use the money for medical equipment, fees, parking, transportation and accommodations when going to future appointments in Toronto.

He says “It has just been mind blowing to see the generosity of family, friends and complete strangers. It has been phenomenal.”

Barrie Police are continuing the investigation into exactly what happened the night of the crash.

E-bikes are similar to scooters with a motor. They are quiet and can get up to speeds of 38km per hour.

No training, insurance or license is required to operate one.


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About the Author: Wendy King

Wendy King writes about all kinds of things from nutrition to the job search from cats to clowns — anything and everything — from the ridiculous to the sublime. Watch for Wendy's column weekly.
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