Both parents died during the descent. It wasn’t until 55 hours later that the three children were found at the wreck – dried up, but alive.
– A miracle, say the survivors.
Condolences are pouring in from all over Australia for Northam’s family, affected by the tragedy on the motorway on Christmas Day morning.
After a Christmas party, Cindy Braddock (25), Jake Day (28) and the children left their hometown outside Perth at 1am on a Sunday night.
They would celebrate Christmas at his mother’s in the small town of Kondinin, a 200km journey through a flat, desolate landscape on the southwest coast.
Nathan O’Donnell at a petrol station in Northam may have been the last to see the two alive, as they stopped to fill up on petrol and buy drinks and snacks.
– He looked exhausted. As he left, I wished him luck on the long journey. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it, O’Donnell says according to the TV station 7News.
Just ten kilometers from home, the four-wheel drive went off the road.
The car was left with its wheels in the air.
The missing report the next day triggered a massive search operation. A relative who discovered the car accident on Tuesday afternoon and called 911.
The parents were dead. Two of the babies were found outside the Landrover, while the one-year-old was inside the car.
Day’s cousin Michael Read believes the couple’s five-year-old daughter saved the one-year-old’s life by unbuckling his seat belt after the crash.
– If it weren’t for her, she wouldn’t be with us today. The kids spent 55 hours in the car in 30-degree heat, according to Read NBC News.
Another cousin of their father, Casey Guyver, says it’s a miracle the children survived more than two days in the wasteland before being rescued.
A helicopter ambulance took the children to Perth hospital. According to police, they were severely dehydrated. The one-year-old also reportedly suffered a head injury.
– We are all suffering in different ways, but let’s put the children first and do our best, one day at a time, says Michael Read.
One match is said to have brought in over NOK 700,000 for the family. Read thank you all:
– It will really be a welcome support for children’s education.
