This girl was very lucky. But at no point in the article does the writer suggest that she had any safety training, that the vehicle was checked out for safe operation (as the ATV was checked for "proper operation"). In fact, it says that she is a "daredevil." No culpability seems to be assigned to the parents who let a fifth grader drive such a powerful vehicle.


A tough spirit bounces back
Benefit raises $6,200 for girl who lost arm in accident

By Bill Sheets, Herald Writer

MUKILTEO - Since Victoria Sonnenburg lost her left arm from the elbow down in a jet ski accident two months ago, she's had good days and not-so-good days. "It's just like an emotional roller coaster, going up and down," said Victoria, 11, of Mukilteo.

Sunday was a good day. More than 200 people donated more than $6,200 at a benefit luncheon at Amici Bistro in Mukilteo on Sunday to help pay the girl's medical expenses. Victoria and her family, Mukilteo residents, were there. So were many of their friends, Victoria's teachers, church members and many others the family didn't even know. Some just dropped off money and left.

"It's really absolutely humbling to see what's going on here," said George Sonnenburg, Victoria's father, amidst the din of people packed into the restaurant Sunday afternoon. Many of those present marveled at how well the girl has bounced back from the accident. Her young friends sold plastic purple bracelets for $5, each inscribed with the words, "Victoria the Brave."

While she's been down at times, family members said, her mood has mostly been bright. "The spirit is still there," her dad said.

The accident happened Aug. 14 when Victoria, her parents, her brother, Spencer, 13, and friends were jet skiing on Lake Goodwin in the Smokey Point area. It's been a regular family activity, George Sonnenburg said. Victoria's an athletic girl, enjoying soccer, basketball, softball and dancing. "The daredevil that my daughter is, she just loves it out there," her father said.

She was on the jet ski when it hit a wake and flipped her into the air. A rope used to pull skiers behind was coiled up on the jet ski, and when Victoria reached for the craft, somehow the rope got wrapped around her lower left arm and severed it. "Literally her arm hit the water before she did," said family friend Mark Golarz, who was there when the accident happened.

Victoria remembers everything, she said. At first, she said, she screamed a lot. A man on a boat nearby jumped into the water, pulled her out and took her to shore. "I wanted to go to sleep, but my dad wouldn't let me go to sleep," Victoria said. There wasn't a lot of pain, she said. "I just felt a lot of pressure."

Golarz recalls Victoria looking at her dad and smiling. "She said, 'Is this a dream, dad?' " Sonnenburg recalled.

Emergency responders were there within five minutes, he said. He praised a Snohomish County sheriff's deputy for keeping everyone calm. Within 30 minutes, Airlift Northwest arrived to take her to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Divers searched for Victoria's arm into the night and the next morning, but never found it, said Amanda Sonnenburg, Victoria's mother. They would have had to find it within four hours to be able to reattach it, her mother said.

Victoria was in the hospital for only four days, admitted on Sunday and released Wednesday, Amanda Sonnenburg said.

The next day, she was shooting hoops in the driveway. Soon, she was playing soccer again, and on Sept. 7, she started fifth grade at Columbia Elementary School in Mukilteo.

Her teachers have been very helpful, her mom said. Victoria and her family discussed her situation with all the fifth-grade students in a group setting, to keep her from having to answer as many questions and so the students would "get the real story," George Sonnenburg said.

The family is waiting until her arm fully heals before deciding whether to consider a prosthetic, Amanda Sonnenburg said. The type that can be used to grip objects is heavy and starts at $25,000, she said.

The airlift cost $9,200, and most of the medical bills haven't come in yet, the family said. They're not sure how much insurance will cover. A golf tournament at Harbour Pointe recently raised $12,000.

Meanwhile, Victoria is adjusting, living her normal life. She's right-handed, which helps, she said. Golarz believes the way Victoria came through the accident and the grace with which she's faced her situation is an indication of something special. "She's going on to achieve greatness," he said.