American nurse recovers after cheating death in Krabi moped crash (2025)

An American nurse went from ziplining with elephants to clinging to life in a Thai hospital but now she is thrilled to be back home after a moped crash in Krabi left her face shattered and her future uncertain.

Sierra Fairhurst, an intensive care nurse at Salem Hospital in Massachusetts, was on holiday in Thailand with friends when disaster struck.

“I remember seeing elephants and ziplining. We were on the road, and then, we weren’t.”

The 24 year old doesn’t remember the moment of impact but she told Boston 25 News that she woke up battered and broken in a small hospital in Krabi. She had suffered a brain bleed, a broken collarbone, and had most of her teeth knocked out.

“My eye socket is broken. I almost lost my eye. My cheekbones and nose were broken, so that’s all metal now. I talk with a lisp now, and people often ask me to repeat myself a few times.”

Her mother, Zoe Rose, jumped on a flight to Thailand and helped get her daughter transferred to Bangkok for urgent facial surgery before the pair finally flew home to the US.

“She’s very self-conscious in regards to the scarring on her face and the missing teeth. But she still came out of this alive, her brain is healing and doing well and she’s still beautiful.”

The emotional reunion and safe return was a huge relief for the family said Rose.

“I can breathe.”

Now back in Salem, Fairhurst has started her long road to recovery at the very hospital where she cares for others. She says she’s determined to return to the job she loves, when she’s ready.

“It’s unfortunate. I would definitely like to heal quickly and be able to get back to work and see my coworkers and my friends and take care of my patients. But I know that I need to be able to pour from a full cup, and if my cup isn’t full, I can’t help anybody else.”

In a final twist of fate, the pair made it out just in time, flying home only days before a 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked parts of Thailand.

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