City councilor starts GoFundMe page to raise funds for student athlete’s recovery; all five teens survive roll-over
By Holly Dillemuth, Ashland.news
More than 400 donations totaling more than $73,000 as of late Wednesday have poured in to support the recovery of an Ashland High School student-athlete recovering from back surgery after a motor vehicle crash above Lithia Park on May 21 left her with a broken back.
Teagan Filoon, a 16-year-old sophomore, underwent back surgery at Oregon Health & Sciences University (OHSU) following the crash. She was one of five teenagers under the age of 18 in the 2005 Mini Cooper during the crash. All survived, with more than one student sustaining injuries.
The driver, a minor, was cited for felony assault, reckless driving, careless driving, and recklessly endangering, according to Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara, and referred to Juvenile Court due to allegedly contributing to the injuries of vehicle occupants.
City Councilor Eric Hansen’s child, who is also a student at Ashland High, was in the vehicle at the time of the crash, according to the GoFundMe page.
Hansen created a GoFundMe page to help support Teagan. The fund has a goal of $100,000 to pay for medical expenses.
“Teagan’s a tough, spirited, bright young lady,” Hansen wrote on the GoFundMe page. “She’s a good friend, family, athlete, student. You know Teagan, you know she’s got this. Let’s show them how much we care.”
Teagan spoke to Ashland.news on Saturday as she traveled back to Ashland with her parents Jessica Soine and Mat Filoon. She expressed gratitude for the way that community members have turned out to support her and her family.
“It makes me feel really appreciated to have such an amazing community that wants to help me out,” she said.
Teagan said she was sitting in the backseat of the vehicle during the May 21 crash on Ashland Loop Road, near Glenview Drive, near the southeast corner of Lithia Park.
“The driver went around a curve too fast, started to lose control, tried to correct and the vehicle went off the road,” O’Meara told Ashland.news during a phone interview, referencing a police report.
O’Meara said the Mini Cooper rolled three times after traveling off the road and down a hill.
No illegal substance was involved in the incident, O’Meara said. A report reviewed by O’Meara said three passengers were wearing seat belts, he said, one was not belted, and there was no mention one way or the other on the fifth.
All are unnamed in the police report due to being under the age of 18.
“One passenger, the one that sustained the most serious injuries, is noted as not wearing (a seat belt),” O’Meara told Ashland.news on Thursday in an email.
Mat confirmed Teagan was not wearing a seat belt, due to there being only four seat belts in the car.
Teagan said she was sitting next to her twin brother, Rhys Filoon, when the rollover began.
Both are certified in wilderness first aid, according to the family. Rhys is a member of the Junior Ski Patrol at Mt. Ashland, Mat said.
He came to her aid almost immediately after the car came to a stop.
“If it wasn’t for him, I’d probably be paralyzed,” Teagan said.
She remembers being in shock after waking up.
“I couldn’t lift my legs,” Teagan told Ashland.news.
“I couldn’t move because my spinal cord had been pushed in, which caused nerve damage.”
Teagan is a competitive skier, and avid mountain biker, and surfer, making the news of a longer recovery period harder to handle.
It may take at least three months of post-surgery recovery and an additional three months to be able to participate in sports, according to her dad Mat, but he added that the timeframe for recovery is also unknown at this point.
“I was just planning on doing a lot of things this summer, so, it’s just a bummer,” Teagan said. “I like to jump off rocks, I wanted to surf and just be a teenager.”
While at OHSU, Filoon walked with assistance from a walker, something she didn’t think she’d be able to do just over a week ago.
“I’m recovering really well,” she said Saturday, attributing that to an active pre-crash lifestyle.
Teagan said she’s still planning on pursuing attending college in Bozeman, Montana, with high hopes of getting a scholarship to ski race. She’d also like to be a wildland firefighter.
“I’m going to be careful, but I’m not going to let things stop me from doing what I like to do,” she said.
Mat said the support for his daughter has been overwhelming.
“Teagan’s actually walking hundreds of feet now,” he said. “She’s really making strides very quickly so we’re really proud of her. She is a pretty strong-willed person and wants to do the work to get to where she wants to be.”
Mat said he’s hopeful Teagan can return to the slopes after a full recovery. She’s competed at a high level at state competitions, and is among the top 10 high school skiers statewide.
“We’re hopefully looking forward to more (ski) racing before she finishes high school,” he said, adding that the goals for her now will be on a daily or weekly basis.
For now, Teagan has been visiting AHS and seeing her teachers and friends after being home from the hospital.
“It’s just going to take some time,” Mat said of her recovery.
To learn how to help Filoon, go online at gofundme.com/f/teegan-needs-our-help.
Reach Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at hollyd@ashland.news.
June 6: Spelling of Eric Hansen’s name corrected and article updated with additional information.
