In US, Californian woman wakes up from 2-week coma with a New Zealand accent

A 24-year-old woman named Summer Diaz from California developed a New Zealand accent after a car accident that left her in a coma for two weeks. Summer was hit by an SUV while crossing a street on November 25 last year, resulting in foreign accent syndrome, a rare disorder in which brain damage causes someone to talk differently. Summer also said that she has never visited New Zealand.

As per the reports of Jam Press, she said that she has no recollection of what happened on that day. According to her, she didn't have a parking spot at her flat, hence, she parked elsewhere and crossed the street. She further said that she was apparently halfway over the crosswalk when the SUV hit her. Summer was brought to the nearest hospital with a broken pelvis, a broken shoulder and a brain injury after the accident.

Summer Diaz was in a coma for two weeks

For two weeks, she was in a coma and her family and boyfriend were unable to see her regularly because the accident occurred during the pandemic. Summer also said that when she woke up in the hospital, she remembered feeling lost and confused. She said that people asked her to pronounce the alphabet. According to Jam Press, she also said that when she first woke up, she was unable to talk.

Summer learned sign language but when she eventually talked, she observed changes in her speech as she gradually regained consciousness. She said that she recalled attempting to communicate with others and realising that her voice was different, as she was talking in a New Zealand accent. Summer's New Zealand accent grew to the point where people began to wonder where she was from.

People wouldn't believe that Summer is American

She said that her nurses would frequently ask where she was from. People wouldn't believe that Summer is an American because of her Kiwi accent.

According to Jam Press, she had to explain that the Kiwi accent wasn't hers and that she had only recently begun to use it. Summer also said that she has a little bit of a British accent because her boyfriend is British but she had never visited Australia or New Zealand.

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