The heartbroken godmother of a teenage girl who tragically died in a car crash during a road trip to see Taylor Swift in concert has spoken about the final days of the ‘amazing’ and ‘beautiful’ 16-year-old.
Mieka Pokarier, 16, was killed when the SUV she was travelling in with her mother and sister collided with a semi-trailer near Dubbo, in central-west NSW at around 6pm on Thursday.
Her godmother Karleigh Fox was with Mieka the day before the crash, picking her up after the teen finished a shift at her Gold Coast takeaway restaurant job.
She recalled how Mieka was very excited to get on the road with her sister Freya, 10 – and mum Kim Litchfield on the ‘trip of a lifetime’ to see Swift play two shows.
Freya was seriously injured and remains in a coma fighting for her life in hospital.
‘They spent like up to eight hours refreshing to try and get tickets, they’re really dedicated and they were stoked to get tickets for both shows in Melbourne and Sydney,’ she said.
The tragedy has not really sunk in yet for Ms Fox.
‘It just kind of feels like Mieka might be staying at someone’s house and I think it’s really going to hit us … when we got home. The reality of it that she’s not coming back, she told Nine News.
The godmother of a teenage girl who died in a car crash during a road trip to see Taylor Swift in concert has spoken about the final days of the ‘amazing’ and ‘beautiful’ 16-year-old Mieka Pokarier (pictured with her sister Freya)
Taylor Swift is pictured performing at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 16, 2024
READ MORE: Heartbreaking detail reveals the final moments of girl, 16, killed on dream road trip to see Taylor Swift concert
Taylor Swift is pictures onstage in Melbourne on her Eras Tour
‘Then to make a big holiday, it was supposed to be an 11 day road trip to catch up with friends and see the sights.’
Ms Fox said her ‘smart and creative’ goddaughter was a long-time Swiftie.
‘She’s been a Taylor Swift Fan for over 10 years, and she loved maths, she loved pottery, she was always making people things with pottery and going to classes,’ she said.
‘She was very talented, she’s always been into creating loom bands and friendship bracelets.’
Swift’s fans, known as Swifties, swap self-made bracelets with each other
Many are now making them in honour of Mieka, with her name on them.
Ms Fox added that Mieka and Freya were Swift ‘super fans’.
‘We have just had Taylor on repeat for the last 10 years. How her music just changed these girls, like empowered them, gave them self-confidence, gave them hope, especially through Covid times, they were really hard times for kids.’
Mieka had been listening to Swift’s music when tragedy struck as the family drove to Melbourne from Queensland to see Swift on the n leg of her Eras tour.
Her sister Freya was seriously injured in the crash on Dunedoo Road at Ballimore and was airlifted to Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney, where she remains in a critical condition.
The screen of Mieka’s iPad, which was eerily unscathed in the crash, showed she had Swift’s song All of the Girls You Loved Before playing in the moments before she died.
‘When we opened the iPad, that was heartbreaking. Mieka’s cat’s name is Mr Perfectly Fine, which is a song of Taylor’s,’ Ms Fox said.
The song Mieka had been listening to as part of her playlist for the trip was recorded during sessions for Swift’s 2019 album Lover, but was only released in March 2023 to mark the global launch of the tour Mieka was so excited to see.
Swift fans, known as Swifties, swap self-made bracelets with each other, and many are now making them in honour of Mieka, with her name on them (pictured)
Mieka Pokarier, 16, was travelling with her mother and younger sister to Melbourne from the Gold Coast to see Taylor Swift in concert when their SUV collided with a truck
Frozen on Mieka’s iPad screen, which remained unscathed, was the last song she had been listening to – Swift’s track All of the Girls You Loved Before
Ms Litchfield, who was driving the SUV, sustained several injuries in the crash and was taken to Dubbo Hospital.
The driver of the semi-trailer had minor injuries and was also taken to Dubbo Hospital in a stable condition.
Ms Fox said Freya was fighting for life in a coma with brain injuries, a broken pelvis and a broken leg.
On Saturday night, Ms Fox gave an update saying she and the girls’ father Peter Pokarier had flown to Sydney to be Freya’s hospital bedside.
Ms Litchfield has been released from hospital and has also made the mercy dash to Sydney to be ‘reunited with her baby’.
‘We are playing her favourite Taylor Swift album 1989 Taylor’s Version on repeat in her room and telling her about the merch we are seeing people buying on line,’ Ms Fox posted online.
‘It takes five people just to roll her to check for marks which could turn to bed sores from being in the same position in her induced coma.’
Ms Fox said the family was struggling to ‘navigate even just learning the layout of the hospital, process the complex trauma to our little one’s organs and process the deep loss of our 16 year old’.
‘We had some thorough chats with the incredible doctors about the prognosis and we are not out of the woods yet with risks of swelling in the brain and infection still evident. This could still be life threatening,’ she wrote.
The sisters’ godmother Karleigh Fox said she along with the girls’ father and mother had travelled to Westmead and were by Freya’s side
The family were on the ‘trip of a lifetime’ to see Swift in Melbourne (pictured) and Sydney and had spent hours refreshing the ticket purchase page
‘We were amazed to learn that our darling had eight blood transfusions plus other blood products by the ambulances on site.
‘One unit is one donation, so if you have time this week please go and donate at your local blood bank – what a priceless gift you can give for free to humanity.
‘All medical staff need a raise and we are beyond grateful to Ronald McDonald House for giving four of us in hospital accommodation.
‘Any time you go drive through Maccas throw some change in the McHappy Day box because these guys just saved us so many logistical nightmares navigating supporting our girl in a town not of our own.
‘We are keeping our girl in an induced coma for a few more days in order to give her body a chance to stay still and hopefully recover as much as possible.’
Ms Fox said the family was preparing for when Freya regains consciousness.
‘We will then see a whole lot of anxiety and distress from her and potential carer burnout for Mama, as that’s the person our girl is going to want the most,’ she said.
‘Mama is still very sore, bruised up and slow. Dad and big sis are amazing and we are all working together as a team navigating this process.’
She said they were ‘so lucky’ to be in and ‘so well cared for’ under the medical system.
‘We wish we had access to our 16 year old and hoping to be reunited within weeks to start our celebration of life that we haven’t even started planning yet. Things you never think you’ll have to do.’
Emergency crews attend the scene of the crash on Thursday near Dubbo
Thick black smoke was seen rising from the highway where the SUV and truck collided
Her younger sister Freya was airlifted to Westmead Hospital in Sydney by paramedics
Mieka was understood to have been sitting in the front passenger seat when the crash occurred.
On Saturday, Mieka and Freya’s father, Peter Pokarier, shared his grief on Facebook.
‘That’s my baby that died,’ he wrote.
The Gold Coast-based family were heading down to Melbourne for Swift’s sold-out concert at the MCG.
The pop superstar kicked off the n leg of her Eras tour in Melbourne on Friday night with around 96,000 fans in attendance.
A GoFundMe page set up on Friday to raise money for the shattered family has raised more than $50,000 by Sunday night.
Mr Pokarier, the girl’s father, also shared a link to the GoFundMe. He said his family is ‘what I live for, I’m devastated’.
Tributes have also flowed from friends on social media.
Cheyenne Craig recalled how Mieka was learning to drive. ‘How is it fair that someone as sweet and beautiful as you was taken away from us so soon,’ she wrote on social media.
‘Mieka was the sweetest, most down to earth person you could’ve ever had the privilege of knowing, her stupid jokes that always made no sense but somehow always made you laugh… and the way we would spend the entire day talking about concerts.’
Ms Fox said the family is ‘astounded with the support. A lot of Swifties (are) checking in and sending beautiful messages of love … we’re really overwhelmed.’
She added that ‘The messages … will be read by the family when they’re ready.’
Swift is in for her Eras tour and played her second night at the MCG in front of around 96,000 fans on Saturday
The sisters had been part of the Gold Coast Youth Theatre Academy.
Simone Medland also said Mieka was passionate about music and concerts.
‘I was so happy to see you happy living your life and going to concerts. You deserved to be happy and there are so many people that care about you,’ she said.
‘I wouldn’t trade these last few years I had with you for the world and I wish I could just see you once more. We had so many plans of things we needed to do together and it’ll always be my biggest regret that we never got the chance to.’
A report will be prepared for the coroner.