Local woman fighting for life after Fast Fridays crash

A beloved member of the Fast Fridays community is facing a long and difficult road to recovery following a devastating accident on July 4. Tiffiny Leppien suffered life-threatening injuries in a crash while serving as the "monkey" rider during an extreme sidecar race at the motorcycle speedway. According to Leppien's mother, Dandra Taggart, the motorcycle in front of Leppien's team had a flat tire, prompting her team to stop. The rider behind Leppien's team did not stop in time and crashed into their sidecar. Leppien was reportedly thrown about 20 feet in the impact. The crash left her with several severe injuries, including a broken pelvis, multiple spinal fractures, broken ribs, lacerations on her liver and kidneys and a collapsed lung. She was transported via ambulance to a hospital, and though it was initially reported she was in stable condition following surgery on her broken pelvis, her recovery has taken a turn in recent weeks. Leppien has been intubated, fighting pneumonia and was relying on a feeding tube and ventilator as she fights for her life and her body struggled to stabilize. "They started turning down her oxygen slowly and reducing her pain meds. They finally took the ventilator out Monday but she was on 80 percent oxygen and is back on it," said Taggart, who has made daily trips to the hospital to support her daughter. "Her lungs are not in very good shape right now, but the goal is to get her off of the ventilator full time." Monday evening, Taggart said that Leppien has been removed from the ventilator but has to get another surgery on her broken pelvis as some screws were loose from the first one. She also added that there is some promise as the latest scans don't show any fluid in her lungs. With a long journey of surgeries, rehabilitation and therapy ahead, Leppien is unable to work, and her family now faces a mounting financial burden on top of the emotional toll. Taggart says she has covered her bills so far, but she's unable to continue doing so as the expenses pile up. "I don't know what the recovery is going to be right now, but I know that it's going to be long," said Taggart. "She's a strong girl, but she's probably looking at a minimum of six months." Friends of Leppien have launched a GoFundMe to help cover her medical bills, daily expenses and physical therapy needs as she battles on a long road to recovery. Taggart thanked Fast Fridays and Sam's Club, Leppien's employers, for their support in the process. Taggart says those who want to offer help can donate to the GoFundMe in an attempt to help Leppien cover the financial burden the accident has caused. She says she has received an outpouring of support from those close to Leppien and hopes it continues.