Teen who suffered burns to entire body in buggy crash chases firefighter dream
A teenager is still chasing her dream to become a firefighter despite being severely burned in a dune buggy accident.
America Salmeron, 17, was riding the dune buggy in the Nevada desert during a training exercise when the vehicle flipped over and burst into flames, with America, from Pasadena, California, trapped underneath. The teen suffered burns to half of her body and is now facing a long and painful road to recovery in hospital.
However, her loved ones have described America as a "warrior" after she first pulled herself from the wreckage of the crash determined to see her family again. She told abc13: "When I felt the heat after it flipped over, I told myself this was the end, but then I said I can't just sit here. I managed to get out. "My family was the first thing I thought of. I needed to see them one more time."
Now she is planning to continue her dream of working in the fire department, despite her traumatic experiencem adding: "A lot of females are not in this career and I wanted to be one. I am not going to sugarcoat anything and say I don't have my bad days. I do. I get negative sometimes. At the end of the day what can I do? I just got to keep pushing."
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Californian firefighter America Salmeron, 17, is left with third-degree burns to more than 51% of her body (GoFundMe)America is already part of the Pasadena Fire Department's Explorer program training the next generation of firefighters and was in the process of interviewing to become a sponsored cadet at the Verdugo Fire Academy.
A GoFundMe, set up by members of the Pasadena Fire Department, describes America as "everything a strong firefighter should be: kind, caring, empathetic, driven to succeed, and a willingness to never quit."
It continues: "America recently graduated from Pasadena High School and was in line to attend Pasadena City College. She was going to start working on her A.S. degree in Fire Science and was preparing for an EMT class as well. Concurrently, while going to college, she was in the process of interviewing to become a sponsored cadet at the Verdugo Fire Academy.
Salmeron was on a training exercise with the Pasadena Fire Department when her dune buggy flipped and exploded (KTLA5)"America has been a standout Explorer with the Pasadena Fire Department for over 18 months. America never missed a meeting and was always there to extend a helping hand not only to her fellow Explorers, but to the department itself. Her goal has always been to become a Firefighter and she was on track to becoming one."
Describing her journey to recovery so far, the fundraising page adds: "She is currently at a trauma centre in Las Vegas undergoing multiple surgeries. America has an extremely difficult and long road to recovery ahead of her but her character and mental fortitude will guide her through this. We are reaching out on behalf of America's family for your help. Contributions of any size are greatly appreciated and will go a long way to aid in her recovery."
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