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CENTERVILLE — A Centerville neighborhood has banded together for a 16-year-old girl who is fighting for her life after she was hit in a crosswalk Wednesday.
The family of Maya Staples continues to wait and hope for her recovery.
The teen is being treated at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray. She's got broken bones, and some skull fractures, and remained unconscious Thursday.
Her sister said Maya was trying to get on a city bus on her way to school — a routine walk across the street to catch a ride to her charter school.
"Although this crosswalk is a school crossing for kids going to and from Reading Elementary School, it was not an active school crossing zone at that time," read a Wednesday afternoon news release from Centerville police.
"Maya is really independent. She's very, an individualist. She's very self-sufficient," said Dani Shelly as she described her strong-willed little sister. "She's doing about the same. She has not woken up since the accident."
The recovery will be long and difficult. It's an especially tough time for her family, as they wait and hope for her to wake up and get better. But they're not doing this alone.
"We have a large family. We have friends in the community. My parents' neighborhood has really been banding together to help so we do have a lot of support, so we're really, really grateful," Shelly said.
She said her sister has a personality that stands out. "She is really special. She's the baby of our family. She has one sister and three older brothers."
Maya loves animals, has lots of friends, and she's a fighter. But right now, this challenge is tough on her whole family.
"We only know what we know at this point. And anyone who's been in this situation before knows just a lot of waiting, so that's what we're doing at this point," Shelly said.
Police say her sister was thrown 60 to 80 feet, after being hit by a Toyota Highlander, driven by an 82-year-old woman. Police said the driver is cooperating.
The remaining details are still under investigation. Staples' family has a GoFundMe page* set up to help with medical expenses but they could use prayers and moral support too. The website has already raised nearly $4,000.
"We have every hope for her. We really want to bring her home safe and healthy," Shelly said.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
