Teen survives Utah off-road crash and vows to return to dance

Fifteen-year-old Brooklyn Mallett was less than a week into the school year at Santiago High School when she sat smiling and talking to me in her family’s Corona home. What made the Monday meeting remarkable was that Brooklyn had been in a terrible off-road vehicle accident just four months earlier. The vehicle she was riding in flipped and eventually burst into flames on a family vacation in Utah. Brooklyn had to be dragged from the vehicle to safety. She suffered severe burns over 40% of her body.

This teen could be bitter. But she’s not.

Even 16 painful operations could not dim her light.

Dance is a big part of her life. And Brooklyn has vowed to return to the team when she’s stronger. She showed me her bedroom with pictures of her dance team. She told me they’ve been very supportive and are happy she’s alive.

So are a lot of people. Brooklyn’s family was one of several firefighters’ families on that ill-fated trip. When the accident happened, the "dads," as she called them, jumped into action. Their quick thinking was critical to saving her until additional help arrived.

A GoFundMe set up for Brooklyn and her best friend, Elena, who was also injured, was heavily supported. Brooklyn’s dad, Mike Mallett, a fire captain, was able to talk to his daughter minutes after she was pulled from the flaming wreckage.

Gratitude doesn’t begin to describe what he and his wife, Erica, feel.