Mieka Pokarier: Taylor Swift's fan dies in accident while on her way to see singer perform in Melbourne

By Arunava Chakrabarty
Published on : 14:03 PST, Feb 17, 2024

Mieka Pokarier: Taylor Swift's fan dies in fatal accident while on her way to see the singer perform in Melbourne

Mieka Pokarier, 16, died at the scene on Thursday, February 15 (Getty Images and Facebook/Kristy Ann Russell)

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: A Taylor Swift fan tragically lost her life after being involved in a fatal two-vehicle crash while en route to see the pop superstar perform in Melbourne, Australia.

16-year-old Mieka Pokarier died at the scene on Thursday, February 15, according to the Weekend Australian, while her 10-year-old sister, Freya Pokarier, was transported to Sydney’s Westmead Hospital in critical condition and is placed in an induced coma.

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 12: Taylor Swift accepts the Woman of the Decade award onstage du — Mieka Pokarier tragically lost her life after being involved in a fatal two-vehicle crash while en route to see Taylor Swift superstar perform in Melbourne (Getty Images)

Mieka Pokarier was reportedly sitting in the front passenger seat at the time of the crash

At the time of the head-on crash, Mieka was reportedly sitting in the front passenger seat while her sister was in the back seat. Their mother, who was driving their SUV in the New South Wales region from the Gold Coast when they collided with a semi-trailer, was reportedly taken to Dubbo Hospital in stable condition and was treated for minor injuries.

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The driver of the semi-truck is also in stable condition

The driver of the semi-truck they hit was also in stable condition and taken to Dubbo Hospital, as per the local news outlet. Mieka’s father, Peter Pokarier, shared his grief with a brief statement on Facebook. “My family and what I live for … I’m devastated !!!!” he said on Friday, February 16.

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What did Mieka Pokarier's grandmother say?

Besides, Mieka and Frey’s godmother, Karleigh Fox, confirmed the former’s death via a GoFundMe. “This was supposed to be a road trip of a life time with them going to concerts in both Melbourne and Sydney,” she penned.

In an update early Saturday morning, February 17, Fox confirmed that Peter and the older sister of Mieka and Freya had been by Frey’s bedside at the hospital. Their mother has also been reunited with her family members. The godmother also thanked people for their generous donations.

“I’m so overwhelmed with the outpouring of generosity and love towards the family, wow over $4k already,” Fox wrote. She concluded, “Thank you. As you can imagine there is a lot of work ahead of us and this will help immensely to reduce some of the pressure.”

A 23-year-old Taylor Swift fan previously died in Brazil

The heartbreaking news comes months after a 23-year-old fan died from extreme heat at an Eras Tour show in Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian fan, Ana Clara Benevides, collapsed at the concert after she waited hours to enter the venue in scorching hot temperatures before passing away in the hospital.

Swift, 34, met with Benevides’ family at another one of her shows after saying she was “devastated” over the tragic passing.