An expectant mother who almost died in a car crash with a teenage driver has revealed the desperate battle to save her unborn baby after already suffering the tragedy of five previous miscarriages.
Tattooo artist Haylee Loccisano, 24, was returning home from work with her mother and young niece in May when their daughter was hit by a teenage driver who was allegedly rushing to her netball match.
“A Toyota RAV4 and a Toyota HiLux were traveling in opposite directions along Ipswich Boonah Rd at Purga, south-west of Brisbane, when they collided at around 5.45pm,” police said at the time.
Six people – three from each vehicle – were hospitalized, including Ms Loccisano, who was seriously injured, along with her unborn daughter.
“I was six months pregnant at the time of the accident,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘My unborn daughter Celeste had to be delivered via emergency caesarean section at 26 weeks.
‘Tragically, she died after 30 minutes of attempted resuscitation.
Hayley Loccisano (pictured with husband Connor) was almost killed in the horror crash
Haylee Loccisano spent months in the hospital and underwent eight laparotomy surgeries
‘She was my first child, I had already had five miscarriages due to a rare genetic condition I called NCAH (Nonclassical Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia).’
Mrs Loccisano spent a week in an induced coma in intensive care and underwent six laparotomy operations in a few days, all while still unaware that she had lost her long-awaited miracle child with husband Connor.
‘My life will never be the same again. They cut me open from my breastbone to my pubic bone and have had eight laparotomy operations so far,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I am permanently disfigured and have a scar of 45 cm across my entire abdomen because my abdominal muscles tore from the abdominal wall during an impact.
‘I have no core strength and won’t be able to lift more than 50 pounds for the rest of my life.’
Ms Loccisano claims the teenage driver, who was 17 at the time of the accident, has not yet been charged for the accident and has shown no culpability for her role.
‘The police officers told my mother that they… [the young driver] showed no remorse after the accident,” she said.
A Toyota RAV4 and a Toyota HiLux were traveling in opposite directions along Ipswich Boonah Rd near Purga, southwest of Brisbane, when they collided last May.
Haylee Loccisano is permanently disfigured with an 18-inch scar on her stomach
Haylee Loccisano no longer has any core strength and will not be able to lift more than 50 pounds for the rest of her life
‘I don’t know if she was in shock, but a witness said that as he approached her car she just went on about how she was about to miss her netball match.’
Haylee believes that by speaking out about the tragic accident, she is giving her unborn deceased daughter a voice.
“I just feel like because she was in my stomach, she’s not really getting the justice she deserves,” she said.
She and her husband married four years ago after dating as teenage sweethearts since they were 14.
Despite all the sadness of their miscarriages and now the horror crash, they still hope to have a child together one day.
“The doctors almost gave me a hysterectomy, but luckily the bleeding stopped so it wasn’t necessary,” she said.
“We’re back to some normalcy in our lives now, but we would love to have a baby again someday.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Queensland Police for comment.