Fundraiser held for woman injured in accident

A fundraiser will be held at IHOP in Kalispell on Sunday night to benefit a local woman who was injured in snowmobile accident north of Columbia Falls on Jan. 8.

From 4 to 9 p.m., 20 percent of the restaurant’s proceeds will be given to a local church that will present a check to the family of Ashley R. Gilbert.

Gilbert, 27, suffered an atlanto-occipital dislocation — also known as internal decapitation — in the accident, according to her sister. Since the accident Gilbert has undergone surgery in Seattle to reattach her skull to her spine, but she remains in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center. Her estimated recovery time is expected to take longer than a year, according to her sister, and it is uncertain how much she will be able to recover. Gilbert is the sole provider for her 1-year-old son.

Gilbert’s family is also looking for 10 volunteers to assist in distributing fliers during the week to advertise for the event and to volunteer on Sunday from 3 until 9 p.m.

Contact Wendy Nguyen or Joshua Lee at IHOP, 406-752-5504 for more information.

A GoFundMe has also been set up for Gilbert at https://www.gofundme.com/ar-ashleys-medical-fund.