A single mother faces further critical surgery to be able to walk again after a horror crash in northern NSW.
Maddi Hambly, 27, was heading home from a friend’s baby shower when her car flipped and rolled, coming to a rest on its roof in a paddock off Wooli Rd, Pillar Valley near Grafton, on Sunday afternoon.
The property’s owner found the wreckage about 6pm.
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Hambly sustained multiple critical injuries and was flown to Gold Coast University Hospital, where she remains in a stable condition.
Her 18-month-old daughter, Lyla, was also in the car but was unhurt.
Family friend Tahlia Spicer told 7NEWS.com.au Hambly was “lucky to still have both” her legs, thanks to doctors, but needed further surgery.
Hambly also suffered a severe concussion, broken sternum, a broken neck, fractured ribs and a bruised heart, Spicer said.
She has recently woken from a coma and will have a “long road to recovery”, her friend said.
“Maddi is a beautiful person with a big heart,” Spicer said.
“(She) lives for, and adores, her beautiful daughter, Lyla.”
Friends of Hambly, who grew up in the Grafton region, said she is an avid traveller and beachgoer but also loved being close to home.
“She’s very much a daddy’s girl and she loves spending time with her family and friends,” Spicer said.
“She recently got back into the workforce and was saving money for future travel.
“We’ve all grown up together and have all had babies around the same time, so enjoy watching them now grow up with each other.”
Hambly has already undergone several surgeries on her legs and has yet another scheduled for Wednesday.
“Maddi has a long recovery ahead of her,” Spicer said.
“She won’t be able to walk for at least the next five months and will have to relearn how to do so.”
Spicer launched a GoFundMe on Monday to help support Hambly.
“She will need full-time care and support to get her through this hard time in her life,” Spicer said.
“Lyla is safe and happy with family but she will be struggling as well with all this time without her mother.”