SOUTH THOMASTON — Only days after teenager Emily Miller was injured during a hit-and-run incident, the Midcoast community is rallying together to provide financial assistance to the family. 

Emily, a student at Oceanside High School, was walking July 22 in Washington and stopped to take a picture of a caterpillar before being hit by a vehicle, according to her stepfather Glen Hilt. 

First responders arrived on the scene after receiving a call at approximately 9:15 a.m. for an unresponsive teen alongside West Washington Road. 

Hilt noted six minutes passed from the time Emily was struck and a passerby stopped and contacted the Knox County Communications Center. 

After determining she had sustained injuries consistent with being struck by a motor vehicle, Emily was transported to the Penobscot Bay Medical Center before being transported to Portland’s Maine Medical Center by LifeFlight. 

Emily sustained two broken bones in an ankle, a shattered pelvis and a small hairline fracture in her wrist. 

Following her release from the hospital Sunday, July 28, Emily will be wheelchair bound for the foreseeable future, though how long is undetermined and will depend on how she recovers in the coming weeks. 

For now, Emily is at her South Thomaston home and doing physical and occupational therapy at home. In the coming weeks, she may attend therapy sessions at a rehabilitation facility. 

“I just want to personally thank every single person who has been in support for me,” Emily wrote in a note posted to a GoFundMe page for her family. “Waking up to all the prayers and awareness being spread I'm extremely thankful for all the support and encouragement to get past whatever pain I may encounter. Surgery went well that I know of and I'm [awake] and wiggling my toes so that is good, trying to distract myself from my fractures. Again thank[s] everyone for this support and know that you people and these doctors are the ones doing the healing on me.”

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office, in a July 22 news release, said investigators are seeking the public’s assistance in helping piece together the events that led to Emily’s injuries. Anyone with information about this incident should contact Detective Dwight Burtis at (207) 594-0429, ext. 722.

Fundraisers

The first fundraiser will be hosted Sunday, Aug. 4 by The Salty Dog in Union (3121 Heald Highway) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring a nail clinic and dog wash and go clinic.

The wash and go will include nails for $20 and just nail trims for $10. No appointment will be necessary and all proceeds will go to the Miller family. 

The second fundraiser will be a benefit auction, organized by Amanda Emerson and Stacy Brown, on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at the Trackside Station (4 Union Street) in Rockland from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

A list of auction items can be viewed at facebook.com/events/1272159942950151. Those wishing to donate an item or provide other assistance can leave a comment on the Facebook event page and one of the event organizers will respond. 

Lastly, a GoFundMe fundraiser has been created with donations exceeding $7,100 of the $10,000 goal, as of publishing time. 

Reach George Harvey at: sports@penbaypilot.com.