Family seeks help after Utah woman severely injured in Guatemala ATV accident

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — On Aug. 6, Katie Laparra and her family left for their highly anticipated trip to Guatemala to visit some other family members. A few days later, everything changed after an accident.

Katie and her family were riding ATVs when Katie made a quick turn and hit a post on the side of the road. Her children were ahead of her at the time of the accident and didn’t see the crash.

“She broke 10 ribs and broke her shoulder and she broke four vertebrae — the lower four vertebrae in her back,” Katie’s father Gary Kennard told ABC4.com.

Because of the severity of her injuries, Katie’s doctors in Guatemala said she would need to be airlifted back to Utah for specialized care — but that soon became a struggle of its own.

“She credits the doctors and nurses in Guatemala with saving her life,” Kennard said.

Katie’s sister, Amy Wilcox, said that the biggest burden was the family not knowing if Katie was stable enough to be relocated.

“She literally could not sit up at all,” Wilcox said.

The days passed by, and Katie’s family was working to arrange transport back to Utah with hospitals and medical air transport. Nearly two weeks later, Katie returned on a small plane on the evening of Aug. 17.

“We all just wanted her to be home, to be here,” Katie’s daughter Selayna said.

While in Guatemala, Katie got a fever and underwent surgery and several blood transfusions. Katie’s family said she is expected to recover, but there is still a long road ahead.

As of Sunday, Aug. 18, Katie was in the University of Utah hospital. However, her family is still seeking help because of the high costs of bringing her home — Kennard estimated that the family had spent about $65,000 so far.

“I think she’s doing OK,” Selayna said after her mother had returned to Utah. “Right now, she can’t, like, really move at all, because they haven’t done anything with her spine, so it’s still unstable.”

Katie’s family set up a GoFundMe after the accident and said they have seen support from friends and strangers alike.

“Her family all just made the decision that we have got to get her back, regardless of the cost,” Wilcox said.

So, what’s next for Katie?

Wilcox said the doctors at the U of U hospital would be redoing some imaging, since the imaging that was done in Guatemala wasn’t digital. And, in the meantime, Katie’s family is expressing their gratitude for those who have helped them bring Katie home.

“I have been blown away by the support we’ve gotten so far,” Wilcox said.

The family’s GoFundMe can be found here .

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