MADISON (WKOW) -- Nineteen months after Florida teenager Teagan Marti fell 100 feet at a Wisconsin Dells thrill ride in a life-threatening accident, Marti walked at Madison's American Family Children's Hospital as her mother praised the facility's work and urged support for the hospital's planned expansion.
Marti used a walker to negotiate the hospital hallways. Her mother Julie Marti said Teagan has made an incredible recovery from the accident and has a goal of walking unassisted. Julie said her hope is that Teagan will attend high school later this year, after doing online course work since the July 2010 accident.
Julie said the work of the hospital's staff on the day of Teagan's fall was lifesaving, including UW Med Flight's helicopter transport of the girl from the accident scene.
Marti said a medical decision in the immediate aftermath of the accident to avoid a complete spinal fusion surgery on Teagan allowed the teen to regain range of motion that would not have been possible otherwise.
Hospital officials said demand for critical care bed space has grown increasingly since the hospital's opening four years ago and said the planned expansion would add more than two dozen beds in that category.
