A 23-year-old American ICU nurse had a terrifying incident while on vacation in Thailand when the moped she was riding crashed, resulting in serious injuries including a brain bleed, a broken collarbone, and damaged teeth.

Sierra Fairhurst, who had spent two weeks in Thailand, returned to Boston Logan International Airport in Massachusetts on March 27. It was reported on a GoFundMe page that the accident occurred during her vacation in Thailand.

Reflecting on the ordeal, Fairhurst’s mother, Zoe Rose, expressed gratitude in the latest GoFundMe post, emphasizing the fortunate outcome despite the challenges ahead. She highlighted the blessing of her daughter being alive and with her cognitive abilities intact.

“Her face can be fixed, her wounds will heal, bones can be repaired,” Rose said. “She has the strength to overcome all of this.”

Fairhurst rented a moped during her travels in the Southeast Asian country. She told Boston 25 that at one moment they were on the road, and the next they weren’t.

She awoke in a foreign hospital with devastating injuries.

“I remember going to see the elephants, and we went zip-lining and all the excursions that we did, but that’s it,” she said. “My eye socket is broken, I almost lost my eye, my cheek bones and nose were broken, so that’s all metal now.”

After the accident, the 23-year-old nurse was taken to Krabi, on southern Thailand’s west coast, for treatment. She was eventually transferred to a facility in Bangkok before returning home, according to GoFundMe.

Rose and Fairhurst’s brother, J, arrived in Thailand after the accident to help her. Her identification was lost in the aftermath of the accident, which complicated the process. 

“In the confusion of the accident and her friends packing luggage to transfer with her to the next hospital, all of Sierra’s identification is missing,” Rose said. “She has no ID, social security card, or passport. It is imperative that once she is stable she gets to come home to Boston and receive the best care and recover at home with her family.”

With the help of the U.S. State Department, Fairhurst was given proper documentation to travel back to the U.S.

“I know she’s very self-conscious in regard to the scarring on her face and missing teeth, but she still came out of this alive, and her brain is healing and doing well, and she’s still beautiful,” she told Boston 25.

When she returned from her trip, Fairhurst went directly to a Boston hospital to be evaluated, and it was determined she did not need inpatient care.

Fairhurst visited the wound clinic and oral maxillofacial surgeon and has appointments scheduled with her primary care provider, neurologist, ocular plastic surgeon, orthopedic surgeon and cosmetic dentist, according to the GoFundMe.