Sunday’s crash near Elora leaves Kitchener woman with severe brain injury and fractures

The car crash happened in a blink of an eye, but it changed lives of those involved and those around them.

Kylie Melo-Bussieres, 22, from Kitchener, was a passenger in car involved in a collision southeast of Elora on Sunday night and is now receiving treatment for severe injuries in Hamilton General Hospital.

“There's a lot of brain tremor and a lot of broken bones. She's had pelvis surgery to put her pelvis back together. Right now, they're doing more MRIs. She doesn't have much movement on her right side but it's early,” said Melo-Bussieres' aunt Brenda Fendley, breaking down in tears. 

The crash took place around 10 p.m. Sunday and involved a coupe and an SUV.

Melo-Bussieres boyfriend, Brian Araujo of Kitchener, who was also a passenger in the same the car, died at the scene. Her friend was also a passenger in the car, is in hospital in stable condition.

The 24-year-old driver of the coupe, who was uninjured, was charged with dangerous driving causing death and two counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm. He also faces a charge under the Highway Traffic Act of driving while under suspension.

As for Melo-Bussieres, the family knows her life will never be the same and has set up a GoFundMe page to raise $50,000. 

The fundraiser details that Melo-Bussieres is suffering from a serious brain injury, a pelvic fracture, a spinal fracture, an occipital condyle fracture, a torn vocal cord, a right scapular fracture and a right rib fracture.

Fendley said there’s a long road ahead for Melo-Bussieres with rehabilitation and the fundraiser hopes to help with other expenses and expenses once she is out of hospital.

“I don't even know she'll be able to work. We don't know at this point if she's going to be able to move. We don't know anything,” said Fendley. 

“Obviously she's going to need rehabilitation and physio and all kinds of medical treatments that may not be covered.”

Fendley added that Melo-Bussieres is still unconscious and has yet to learn about her boyfriend passing away.

Fendley said she got a call about the accident at 2:30 a.m. and quickly hopped in the car on the way to the hospital to visit Melo-Bussieres. 

“I was expecting the worst. This was close to it,” said Fendley, adding that the incident is too much for her niece's parents to speak about right now. 

Fendley said Melo-Bussieres worked in a nursing home and wanted to go back to school this fall to take a personal support worker course. 

“She was just a simple girl. She liked her makeup and pretty things and she was just a kind, easy going, smiling laughing girl. There was nothing I can say bad about her,” said Fendley in tears. “She was just perfect.”