Girl, 12, Seriously Injured by Falling Tree Branch at Festival

A 12-year-old girl is facing a long recovery after she was injured by a falling large tree branch during a storm at a festival in Georgia over the weekend. 

The incident occurred on Saturday, Sept. 6, at the Paulding Meadows Arts and Crafts Festival in Paulding County, the county’s sheriff’s office said in a statement. 

“Shortly after the rain passed through, a portion of one tree, along with tree limbs from another tree, fell and struck a 12-year-old young lady, critically injuring her,” the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) said. 

“Within seconds, our Deputies, along with  Paulding County Fire/Rescue firefighters, began assessing and treating the young lady,” the statement continued. 

The injured child was identified by ABC affiliate WSB and a GoFundMe as Claudia Bacon. Reportedly, Claudia was attending the festival for a friend’s birthday when the incident occurred. 

“She had skull fractures, two across the back, and one very close to her neck; she bruised her lung, she broke a rib,” HJ Cohran, Claudia’s uncle, told WSB. 

The GoFundMe, which was established to pay for the child’s medical costs, earlier noted that Claudia lost a lot of blood and underwent a blood transfusion. The fundraiser description stated at the time that “she’s currently on a breathing tube and sedated until further notice to manage pain.”

“She will have a long recovery,” the GoFundMe also read.

Cohran said that Claudia has shown signs of progress, telling WSB that his niece “has squeezed her momma’s hand at this point, and they’re hoping to unsedate her and take the breathing tube out and see how she’s doing.”

In an update on the GoFundMe on Monday, Sept. 8, Claudia’s mom, Charlena Bacon, stated that her daughter’s breathing tube is out. 

“She did so good,” Charlena said. ”Sat up in the bed and tried to talk. Oh thank you God! Thank you Holy Spirit. God we give you praise! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ Thank you for all the prayers. Please keep praying.”

The Paulding Meadows Arts and Crafts Festival encouraged prayers for Claudia and her family in a Sunday, Sept. 7, Facebook post. 

“The entire staff of Paulding Meadows is hoping for a full recovery!” the post read. “Very thankful for the swift action by our PCFD and PCSO to render aid.  They are always on site during the festival and we cannot appreciate them enough.”

The online fundraiser described Claudia as a straight-A honor student and a chorus member. 

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.  

“She is so strong and she comes from a praying family that believes in the healing power of Jesus. We appreciate all of the ongoing prayers and support for Claudia’s recovery,” the GoFundMe stated. 

Claudia’s relatives also expressed thanks to the first responders who helped the child at the scene, per WSB. 

PEOPLE reached out to the GoFundMe organizer and the Paulding Meadows Arts and Crafts Festival on Monday for comment.