WYTHE COUNTY, Va. — A Georgia girl fighting for her life after a major accident killed three members of her family in Virginia is showing signs of improvement.
Luna Zuniga, 5, was riding with her mother and siblings in a passenger van on I-81 in Wythe County earlier this month when the van slammed into the back of a stopped tractor-trailer. The family is from Tunnel Hill in Whitfield County.
Zuniga had a traumatic brain injury and was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
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Zuniga’s mother, 25-year-old Brittany Puckett, and her 2-year-old brother Matthew were killed. Her 18-year-old aunt and 7-year-old sister were also injured.
Puckett’s stepbrother-in-law, Mark Williams, also died at the scene. Puckett’s stepsister, Christina Williams, who was driving the van at the time of the crash, was also seriously injured.
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Family members said doctors and nurses initially told them that Zuniga wouldn’t survive. Since then, she’s had two major brain surgeries, according to a GoFundMe account set up to help the family.
On Saturday, organizers posted that Zuniga opened her eyes and that doctors said some of the swelling is going down.
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“She’s definitely a fighter and has so many praying she makes it through,” GoFundMe organizers said. “Please continue to keep her in your prayers.”
The community has raised more than $3,500 to help with medical expenses and to bring the ones killed home for burial.
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