15-year-old looks forward to returning home and falls into a coma after car surfing accident

MAGNA, Utah (Gray News) – A 15-year-old Utah girl faces a long road to recovery after suffering severe brain trauma in a car surfing accident when she fell from the roof of a car, according to police.

Ava Broadhead, a 15-year-old sophomore at Cyprus High School, was looking forward to celebrating her first day of school before she was involved in a car surfing accident that left her hospitalized with severe brain trauma, according to police.

Sergeant Aymee Race of the Unified Police Department told KSTU the incident happened Wednesday night at Magna Regional Park. She said the 15-year-old was sitting on a car, fell off and hit her head on the asphalt.

Ava Broadhead was taken to Primary Children's Hospital where she underwent brain surgery, according to a GoFundMe campaign to help her family with medical costs, before being placed in an induced coma.

The teen's mother, Kandis Broadhead, says she is devastated by what happened.

“This happens to all teenagers. They get peer pressured,” the mother told KSL. “They know it's not smart.”

Before her accident, Ava Broadhead was looking forward to dancing with her drill team at the homecoming football game and attending the homecoming dance, for which she had just picked out a dress, according to the GoFundMe. Now she faces a long road to recovery and must relearn how to walk and talk.

“I can't imagine a future where Ava isn't Ava anymore,” Kandis Broadhead told KSTU. “It's going to take me months, if not years, to recover from this.”

The mother hopes that her daughter's story will help raise awareness of the dangers of car surfing.

“I want to bring this to light because my smart, feisty girl is fighting for her life,” Kandis Broadhead told KSL. “I wouldn't wish this on anyone. My heart is broken into a thousand pieces.”

The incident is currently still being investigated, police said.

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