8-year-old Cobb girl hit by a car who broke ‘almost every bone in her body’ recovering

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — An 8-year-old girl nearly died after she was hit by a car while riding on a moped with her mother.

When you look at where Briella Smithson was more than a month ago and where she is now, it’s obvious she is a miracle.

“She was in a coma for a month. She broke almost every bone in her body and she’s still in a wheelchair today,” mother Shannon Smithson said.

Briella told Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell that she remembers the moment her life flashed before her eyes.

“I did see the car merging into us, and I hugged my mom because I was scared,” Briella said.

The crash happened a little more than two months ago in Mableton along Mableton Parkway.

“He started speeding up before he got over. He nicked just the very back of my tire, which sent us spinning. We hit the sidewalk and got thrown back into traffic. Briella was laying across the traffic and he went right over her,” Smithson said.

TRENDING STORIES:

• 22-year-old man shot just weeks before his birthday at Gwinnett wings restaurant
• Man shot moments after stepping out of barber shop in DeKalb County, police say
• Tractor-trailer flips on I-85 in Gwinnett County, shutting down multiple lanes

A woman prayed for Briella before help arrived.

“Then my daughter came back to life, it seemed like,” Smithson said.

Cobb County Police released this statement about the crash:

“The Cobb County Police Department S.T.E.P. Unit is investigating a serious injury collision which occurred on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 1457 hours on Mableton Parkway near Bonanza Trail in Precinct Two. Information from the scene indicates that a 2021 ZNEN 150cc motorcycle was traveling north on Mableton Parkway in the right lane as a green 2005 Toyota Sienna was traveling north in the left lane. The operator of the ZNEN failed to maintain a single lane of travel and collided with the right side of the Toyota. The motorcycle overturned and both occupants were ejected,” Sgt. Wayne Delk, Cobb County Police Department PIO.

Smithson told Newell that she had the right of way.

“I regret putting her on a scooter because you can’t judge how other people drive,” Smithson said.

It will be a while before Briella returns to school. She is staying close to the cards her classmates sent the hospital on her 8th birthday.

Police told Newell that the case is still being investigated.

Smithson made it out of the crash without a scratch on her body but the family needs help with Briella’s medical bills and transportation.

If you want to help them out, CLICK HERE.

IN OTHER NEWS:

©2023 Cox Media Group