Friends Rally Around Beverly High Alumna Severely Injured In Ski Crash

BEVERLY, MA — Friends and relatives of a 20-year-old Beverly High alumna who suffered a traumatic brain injury and fractures to her pelvic, jaw and facial bones in a devastating ski crash last week are raising money for her rehabilitation and medical expenses.

A GoFundMe page for Olivia Merritt had raised more than $42,000 toward a $100,000 goal as of Friday.

Family members said that Merritt was rushed to the UMass Medical Center after her accident and received life-saving care. She is a Type 1 Diabetic, which has complicated her treatment and recovery, which has already included multiple surgeries.

The GoFundMe was started because the family's insurance will not cover all of Merritt's medical expenses or rehabilitation needs.

"The emotional and financial strain on this family is overwhelming," GoFundMe organizer Nicole Luongo, Olivia's aunt, said on the GoFundMe. "Between hospital bills, rehabilitation costs, and lost income, the financial burden is far greater than they can handle alone."

Organizers said contributions will go directly toward:

• Covering Olivia's medical expenses and rehabilitation treatments.
• Supporting her parents as they care for Olivia full-time.
• Helping ease the financial strain so the family can focus on Olivia's healing.

"Olivia is a fighter, and with your support, she can make it through this long and challenging road to recovery," Luongo said.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)