A 14-year-old girl who suffered a serious head injury in a Windsor park continues to struggle with recovery.
Madison Arseneault was playing in the sports fields at the Ford Test Track with her grade eight class when she tripped over a wire and was impaled with the shaft of a golf club.
After nearly three months in a London hospital, Arseneault was moved to a Toronto rehabilitation facility earlier this week.
"She is still struggling with the paralysis on the left side of her body, she does still have the memory impairment, there's some issues with anxiety, and she's wheelchair dependent," says Jennifer Bezaire of Greg Monforton and Partners, the law firm that will represent the family in a lawsuit against the City of Windsor and the Greater Essex County District School Board.
Bezaire says the family continues to be at Arseneault's side day after day and have temporarily moved to Toronto to be with her.
"It is a huge struggle for them both financially and emotionally. To be able to deal with her injury and obviously being away from work and from their home but they are hopeful she will make some improvement while she's in [Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital]," says Bezaire.
It's unclear how long rehabilitation may take. A family friend has set up a GoFundMe Campaign to help the family pay for some of the extra expenses.
Bezaire has not filed a formal lawsuit yet but says both parties have been put on notice that the lawsuit is forthcoming.
"The hope right now is that at Bloorview she can focus on her rehabilitation and hopefully gain some function in terms of movement and being able to independently use a wheelchair," says Bezaire.
The amount in damages sought in the lawsuit will depend on Arseneault's recovery.
