Tracy Kelly and her daughter Chloe Miller were in a single vehicle accident near O’Connell on November 18.

Tracy was admitted to Liverpool Hospital with leg injuries, knee injuries, and head injuries. Part of her bowel was removed.

Chloe was transported to Westmead Hospital with brain swelling and other injuries.

Both were admitted to intensive care in a critical condition.

They spent around three weeks in a coma, although they are both now conscious, and Tracy is off the critical list, although there are many months of treatment still ahead. 

The other Kelly children were being cared for by their grandparents, Oberon rugby league legend Neville Kelly and his wife Narelle, while Tracy’s husband Gary shuttled between the two hospitals. 

But disaster struck again on Saturday morning when Neville and Narelle were involved in a head-on collision as they made their way down to Sydney to visit Tracy and Chloe.

They had Gary and Tracy’s two young children Shania, two-and-a-half, and her big brother Ben with them.

Brother-in-law John Goddard yesterday said the second accident happened near Hampton.

Narelle, who was driving, was trapped in the car, with one ankle badly shattered, four broken ribs, a broken sternum, broken kneecap and deep lacerations to her arm.

She had to be cut from the vehicle before being airlifted to Westmead Hospital.

Neville suffered crushed knuckles, broken ribs and a broken sternum. He was transferred to Bathurst Base Hospital.

Ben broke his toe and needed a couple of stitches, and after treatment in Bathurst, was released into the care of friends. 

Shania was admitted to intensive care at Westmead, where she was placed in an induced coma due to brain swelling, however, things are now looking good for her. 

“They were taking the kids down to see their mum and sister,” Mr Goddard said. 

He said Gary is spread very thin visiting his family who are now placed in a number of hospitals. 

“They are battlers, all of them – just your average Aussie family,” Mr Goddard said.

“The whole family has lived in Oberon all their lives. Neville’s family has been out there for generations.

“Gary hasn’t been able to work for three weeks but his company is being very supportive.”

Mr Goddard spoke with Gary yesterday and he said that Tracy has come a long way. She is in good spirits and is absolutely determined to get better so that she can be with her kids again. 

She wants desperately to be moved from Liverpool to Westmead and is fretting to be with them.

Gary added that after Saturday’s accident, Chloe became very single-minded and was determined to recover so that she can lessen the burden on her family and help the others recover. 

Neville is still in Bathurst Hospital. He has numerous injuries but is more concerned for the rest of his family than he is for himself. He may be moved to Oberon Hospital in the next few days.

Shania has a brain injury and a broken hip. She needs someone with her 24 hours a day as she gets upset if someone is not there. The doctors are said to be happy with her progress.

Gary said Narelle had five hours of surgery on her knee on Sunday and it went well. She had another four hours of surgery on her ankle yesterday morning which went well. The other ankle was too swollen to operate on. She is in a lot of pain.

He said that the hospitals are under-staffed and struggle to cope with the volume of work and injuries in front of them to the point where a family friend had to hold Narelle’s leg while the doctor dressed her wound.

“The staff at all the hospitals are fantastic, but I wish they were better funded,” he said.

Brother-in-law John Goddard and his daughter Leah have set up the Oberon Kelly Family Fund which can be accessed online through the link http://www.gofundme.com/5nfd68#

A fundraising account has also been set up by Russell and Kerryn King through the National Australia Bank (NAB).

Money can be donated to The Kelly Family Fund: BSB 082771 Account: 396220180.