A five-year-old girl has been credited with helping save her little brothers after a car crash killed both their parents on Christmas Day.
Jake Day, 28, and Cindy Braddock, 25, died in the crash in Western Australia, with the children trapped inside the car in 30C heat for 55 hours.
After the car had flipped onto its roof the girl managed to unbuckle her one-year-old brother’s seatbelt freeing him from his seat, if not the upside-down car. It is thought the action helped save her baby brother’s life.
Her two-year-old brother remained trapped in his seat but also survived.
The wreckage was eventually discovered on December 27, and the dehydrated children were flown to Perth Children’s Hospital to be treated.
The crash took place took place Sunday night just 10 km from the family’s hometown of Kondinin. The family had set out from Perth, about two hours drive away, and were heading home to celebrate Christmas.
Friend of the family Kailee Wallace told the Western Australian: “When they found (the five year-old), she made a comment that “Nanny is going to look after us now”.
“She’s incredible, her brother would not be here if it wasn’t for her.”
Nathan O'Donnell, who was working at a petrol station the family stopped at, may have been the last person to see the parents alive.
Speaking to ABC News he said they had driven in at around 1am.
“They then got out, put fuel in, then they came in, they went to the toilet, they came and bought drinks and snacks and stuff for the road," Mr O’Donnell said. “They looked very exhausted.”
When the family failed to arrive on Christmas Day they were reported missing and Ms Braddock’s took to Facebook to ask for for help.
“Has anyone seen Jake Day or Cindy Braddock since Christmas Day as they left Northam to go to Kondinin but haven’t made it home and haven’t made contact with anyone since,” Helen Braddock posted.
Two days later, a relative of the couple and their children found the crashed vehicle, following a frantic search involving them and other family members.
Questions have been raised about why it took so long for the crash to be discovered and investigated.
Bruce Browning, a Kondinin shire councillor, speaking to The Guardian said: “There’s hundreds of cars on the road over that period and the vehicle was not that far off the road, so it is just beyond belief that no one discovered them before the family went looking for them.”
He added that it was an “absolute miracle” that the children had survived being trapped in the hot car that long.
Tributes including heartfelt messages, flowers, a baby’s bottle, and a teddy have been left at the site. The exact circumstances of the crash are still unknown and are under investigation by the police.
