Sophie Delezio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sophie Joy Delezio (born January 2001) is an Australian schoolgirl, the first daughter of Ron Delezio and Carolyn Martin and younger sister of Mitchell Delezio. She survived horrific third-degree burns to almost 85% of her body in an accident at the Roundhouse Childcare Centre in Fairlight, Sydney Australia.

1 The First Accident
2 The Second Accident
3 The public responses
4 External links

[edit] The First Accident

Sophie first came to the attention of the public on December 15, 2003 when she and another child, Molly Wood, were badly injured when they were trapped under a burning vehicle which had crashed through a fence into the child care centre where they were being cared for. Sophie suffered burns to most of her body and lost both feet, some fingers, and her right ear. The circumstances of the accident, the rescue of the children by passersby and members of the emergency services (for which a number received bravery awards [1]), and the fortitude she showed during her months-long recovery in hospital made her the subject of national news coverage.

The driver who crashed into that centre, Donald John McNeall, was 68 at the time of the accident. He was cleared of negligent driving before a magistrate's court after medical experts agreed he had had a seizure.

In late 2004 Sophie's parents founded the Day of Difference Foundation, a charity dedicated to raising funds for research into pediatric burns and related diseases. [2]

In January 2006, Sophie was enrolled at the publicly funded Balgowlah Heights Public School. The school was extensively refurbished to accommodate the needs of Sophie [3].

[edit] The Second Accident

On May 5, 2006 Sophie again made national headlines when she was badly injured in a road accident. While being pushed by her caregiver in a wheelchair with her service dog Tara by her side, across a pedestrian crossing near her home in Sydney's northern suburbs she was hit by a car, and thrown 18 metres. Sophie suffered a broken jaw and shoulder bone, bruising to her head, numerous rib fractures and a tear to her left lung. She was treated at the Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick.

She left hospital and returned home to continue her recovery on 7th June 2006 [4]

An 80-year-old man, John George Sharman, was been charged in relation to the second accident with "dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and not giving way to a pedestrian on a crossing". [5]. Having pleaded guilty Sharman was in October 2006 placed on a good behavior bond for 18 months and suspended from driving for a year. [6].

Sophie's father maintained that while accidents do happen, reconstruction of the pedestrian crossing in question must be commenced, due to the number of incidents occurring.

On July 16, 2006 Sophie's story was told on Channel 7's True Stories series. Episode synopsis.

Sophie Delizio returned to classes at Balgowlah Heights Public School on Thursday, 20th July 2006 [7] and [8].

[edit] The public responses

Over $2 million has been raised, along with heightened public awareness for the need for adequate support and services for pediatric burns patients.
The NSW Government announced that it is investigating the possibility of reducing the age for mandatory medical checks for drivers from 80 to 75 years of age.
Traffic lights will be installed at the crossing where the accident occurred.
Sophie's father, Ron Delezio, was named Father Of The Year for 2006 [9]
The Kids 4 Kids Benefit Concert was held on 10th September 2006 to raise money for Sophie Delezio