Lime ribbons have been tied to lamp posts, columns and even tractors in support of Lydia Herrle. The 13-year old girl was getting off a school bus in front of her family's business, Herrle's Country Farm Market on Erbs Road west of Wilmot Line in St. Agatha, shortly before 4 p.m. on Thursday. A garbage truck rear-ended the bus and struck the young girl, throwing her several feet away. Her family rushed to her side while they waited for emergency workers to arrive. She had several broken bones, including a skull fracture.
Lydia was taken to Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children by air ambulance where she was put in a medically-induced coma. The Herrle family says she is still in a coma, but it is no longer medically-induced. Doctors are monitoring her brain for increased swelling and bleeding.
The Herrle family says they are thankful for the overwhelming support online and throughout the community. Hundreds of messages have been sent to the family's Twitter account @HerrlesMarket and the hashtag #prayforlydia.
On Saturday, the Herrle family tweeted: "Please know your messages and prayers are being heard and felt by us."
They also posted the following message on their blog:
"We as a family are overwhelmed with the support our Community, locally and abroad, love has poured over us.
We are remaining hopeful, faithful, and prayerful that God, in his timing will bring precious Lydia to us again.
Your prayers of comfort and kind messages are all constantly being read, we are using those as comfort when we are feeling sad and discouraged.
God is Sovereign, and it's His will that gets carried out.
We ask for your prayers for our bus driver John, for comfort and peace. And for the the garbage truck driver. We don't know, nor understand the circumstances surrounding the accident, or why this happened. We must now take baby steps to get to where we need to be.
Thank you,
The Herrle Family
Howard & Elsie, James & Michelle, Trevor & Joanne, Karen"
Police have not yet released the cause of the crash and no charges have been laid.
