EXCLUSIVE: Family of North Bay teen hurt in crash that killed friend gives update on long recovery

NOVATO, Calif. (KGO) — We’re hearing from the family of a Rohnert Park teenager who is fighting for her life in the hospital following a terrible car crash last month that killed her friend.

Five teens were riding in the car when it crashed in Novato. The driver is facing DUI charges.

Angi Sharma was a passenger in the car. Her father spoke exclusively with ABC7 Eyewitness News.

Cornell Barnard: “What do you want everyone to know about Angi?”

“She’s recovering,” said her father, Saleen Sharma. “We’re going through a lot. She’s only 17 years old.”

Sharma was wiping away tears as he was speaking with us about his daughter Angi’s long road to recovery. The teen is now receiving care at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Vallejo.

“She’s in pain. She had a punctured lung, ribs fractured, her leg broken in three places,” Sharma said.

Angi was a passenger in a car that crashed into a power pole on San Marin Drive in Novato in the early hours of April 11.

“She doesn’t remember what happened,” Sharma said.

Five teens were in the car. Angi’s friend, Nico Vargas Ortiz, was killed. The 17-year-old driver is charged with DUI.

Cornell Barnard: “What are you thinking about all that?”

“That it’s not right,” Sharma said. “If he was drinking, he shouldn’t be driving you know. “

Most of the teens were students at Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park. Sharma says the friends were coming from a party.

“I was supposed to pick her up. Then she said she had a ride,” Sharma said.

Angi’s medical bills are piling up, now approaching $300,000. The family started a GoFundMe to help with the cost of her recovery.

“Very glad they are there supporting us with the money. I’m really thankful from my heart. We have never experienced this. We’re going through it day by day,” Shjarma said.