Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Published Monday, January 14, 2008

FORT SMITH - A Fort Smith teenager is fighting for her life in an Edmonton hospital.

Alice Mawdsley, 16, suffered life-threatening head injuries in a snowmobile accident in the early morning hours of Jan. 5.

Alice Mawdsley, right, pictured with her sister Betsy. Alice is in Edmonton hospital following a snowmobile accident. She was on an inner tube being dragged behind a snowmachine when the inner tube hit a parked vehicle. - NNSL file photo

According to Fort Smith RCMP, she was on an inner tube being dragged to the top of a sliding hill by a snowmobile when the tube struck a parked vehicle.

Sgt. Grant Payne said charges are pending against the driver of the snowmobile.

"It appears alcohol was a factor," Payne said.

The hill is in the slide zone area - so-called because of a landslide in the 1960s - above the Slave River.

Mawdsley is at Stollery Children's Hospital, where she underwent a number of operations for her injuries and is in a coma. As of Sunday morning, the hospital listed her condition as stable but critical.

There has been an outpouring of concern and support for Mawdsley and her family from the people of Fort Smith, including prayer services and candlelight vigils.

As of Sunday morning, there were also 246 messages of support on a website where the family has been updating her condition.

According to messages posted from the family, Mawdsley is taking baby steps towards recovery, but it will be a slow process.

"And, although she is still resting in the spirit world, we know based on the amount of prayer from our amazing community that she is being well taken care of and guided home," read a message posted on Friday.

"So, with the help of the amazing team here at Stollery, her body is recovering and creating a healthy environment for her spirit to return to us all."

The family thanked everyone for their prayers and overwhelming support.

"We couldn't ask to come from a better place than our Fort Smith," the Friday message read. The website address is www.carepages.com.

The page to read updates from the family and to leave messages of support can be accessed by typing "lettersforalice".