A loyal 16-year-old Taylor Swift fan died in a devastating accident while they were en route to the pop sensation’s highly anticipated Eras Tour concert in Melbourne, Australia. The heartbreaking incident has sent shockwaves among Swifties all over the world. As part of her Eras Tour, Swift has been touring Australia. Over 96,000 people attended her event at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds stadium, where the fan who has now passed wanted to attend, per USA TODAY .
Around six o’clock in the evening, Mieka Pokarier and her 10-year-old sister, Freya Pokarier, were being driven from the Gold Coast to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert by their mother, Kim Litchfield, when their car struck a semitrailer in New South Whales. While her sister Freya was taken to Westmead Hospital in serious condition, Mieka, who was seated in the front passenger seat, passed away at the scene.
The children’s godmother, Karleigh Fox, revealed that the family was traveling for eleven days and intended to watch Swift play in both Sydney and Melbourne. “When they heard Taylor Swift was touring, it was all that (Mieka and Freya) could talk about. They had five family members online, refreshing pages for up to eight hours to get tickets,” Fox said.
damn this is the second taylor swift fan that died either at her concert or on the way to her concert. first one of her fans died at her concert in brazil cos of heat exhaustion and now another taylor swift fan died in a car accident on the way to her concert in australia.
— tati❤️🇭🇹🦄 (@tatiblanco__) February 17, 2024
Fox described Mieka as ‘vivacious and very cheeky’ to The Sydney Morning Herald . “She just had this sparkle in her eye. And it sounds really cliched, but she was just a really beautiful person who was very thoughtful,” she said, adding that the sisters, avid Swift fans, made friendship bracelets for their friends and family [a trademark Swiftie gesture].
A family friend has revealed the final moments before 16-year-old Mieka Pokarier was killed in a car crash that also seriously injured her younger sister while they were travelling to attend Taylor Swift’s concert in Melbourne. @eddy_meyer #9News DETAILS: https://t.co/aMPV953SSX pic.twitter.com/r6LVcSqazN
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) February 18, 2024
After receiving minor injuries treatment from paramedics at the collision scene, Litchfield was transported to Dubbo Hospital. The semitrailer driver was admitted to the same hospital in stable condition. According to a GoFundMe link established for the family, as of February 18, Freya was still in an induced coma with organ damage and swelling in her brain. She may potentially have a fractured shoulder and a shattered leg.
The singer hasn’t yet responded to the incident but will soon respond as she did in the case of the Brazil tragedy, per CNN . It was during a record heatwave that Swift had to postpone an earlier engagement in Brazil, and before her performance in Rio de Janeiro , a fan tragically died.
According to reports, 23-year-old Benevides Machado passed away after collapsing at the stadium. “This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil,” Swift said in a statement on Instagram at the time. “I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this. I’m not going to be able to speak about this from the stage because I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it.”