Family ‘trying to keep it together’ after crash
By Robyn Sidersky, The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"I woke up and I was on my face in the street," the 11-year-old told his aunt in the hospital after the accident that killed his father,
"He told me that he was blessed because he was asleep,"
Because he was sleeping, Taeshawn doesn't remember the moment of impact, Samuel said.
Taeshawn suffered facial injuries, but was OK otherwise and was discharged Thursday.
Although Taeshawn doesn't remember the accident itself, he is all too aware of the aftermath.
"He remembers seeing his dad and his sister in the street." They had been thrown from the car, too.
When he realized what was going on, he screamed for help.
The
Robinson, a custodian at
Robinson had stopped in the left southbound lane of
He was struck from behind by a van traveling in the same lane. That caused Robinson's vehicle to spin into the northbound lane.
The Robinsons were ejected onto the northbound side of the roadway, according to the
In an effort to avoid the crash, a third vehicle, also traveling north on
The other drivers in the crash reported minor injuries, but did not go to the hospital.
Samuel, who is
"We let [Taeshawn] know that he is the hero because he tried to save her life. We let him know 'if you weren't yelling you wouldn't have gotten someone to give CPR,'" Samuel said.
Taeshawn sustained a facial fracture and has trouble opening his eyes--one is swollen--and he lost some teeth, Samuel said.
Tierra is in far worse shape, her aunt said. She's been on life support in the intensive care unit.
She's opened her eyes only once, has undergone multiple surgeries, is sedated the majority of the time and is expected to be in the ICU for three or four weeks.
She seemed like she was making progress on Wednesday at one point, said Samuel.
The family is struggling with funeral costs because Robinson, who was also the father of two grown children, was the family breadwinner.
For the past two years, he's been a custodian at
He did not have life insurance, Samuel said.
She said a GoFundMe account has been established to help with funeral and back-to-school expenses, and she is accepting donations of new clothes and other supplies.
"She's just trying to get everything straight," her sister said Thursday. "She's just trying to keep it together right now and not cry in front of the kids."
Taeshawn, who will start sixth grade this year, is mature for his age, his aunt said. After the accident, he asked a lot of questions.
He immediately told his mom, "You have to call his job and tell them so they won't expect him, and he won't be coming," Samuel recalled.
Taeshawn was planning to attend middle school orientation with his dad, Samuel said. Even though he'll have to go without his father, he still thinks he needs to go.
"It hasn't hit him," Samuel said.
Taeshawn is also concerned about his sister, who is fighting for her life. He was able to visit her after finding out that his dad didn't make it, Samuel said.
"He wanted to see her, so we took him in a wheelchair. It really made him upset to see her on the [life support] machine," Samuel said. "He was trying to figure out why she has so many IVs.
"It broke him down. He wanted to tell her goodnight and pray for her."
Samuel said knowing that he helped save her life made Taeshawn feel better, but he wonders why he couldn't save his dad.
The siblings have a very close relationship, Samuel said. He likes basketball and video games and Tierra is "a little diva" who enjoys playing with her aunt's makeup.
Their dad, Floyd, who liked the
Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time.
WANT TO HELP?
To contribute to the Go FundMe campaign, go to gofundme.com/8yk0rk.
Mail monetary donations or clothing for the children or school supplies to the children's aunt,
The children's clothing sizes are: for Taeshawn: shirt size 14/16, pant size 14, shoe size 7-7½ youth boys, underwear size small, 8-10. His favorite colors are green, yellow and black.
For Tierra: shirt size 12/14, pants size 14, dress size medium or 12/14, shoe size 13½ kids. Her favorite colors are pink, purple and green.
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(c)2014 The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, Va.)
Visit The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, Va.) at www.fredericksburg.com/flshome
Distributed by MCT Information Services
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