By Kadeem Joseph
The family of Tenisha Sebastian says that she is requesting privacy while on the road to recovery after she and her daughter Hailey Ralph were involved in an accident in which one person died.
The August 16 crash occurred in Florida and claimed the life of the driver, former Airport Authority CEO Stanley Smith, after his blue Jaguar SUV slammed into a concrete pole and erupted into flames.
Observer reached out to a close family member who said that Sebastian was recovering and had made the request for time to recuperate before she would comment on the incident herself.
Both survivors not only suffered burns, but also had broken bones in the accident and have had to undergo surgeries since they were taken to the Broward Health Medical Center, according to reports.
Tenisha Sebastian and her daughter Hailey Ralph (Social media photo)
Chanel Carty, one of Sebastian’s sisters, told US publication Local 10 that the Antiguan and Barbudan citizen had been able to undo her six-year-old daughter’s seatbelt, but encountered difficulty in unlocking the doors of the burning vehicle.
She added that Sebastian then started to bang on the window, and reportedly kept doing so until help arrived almost a minute and a half after the accident.
Surveillance video of the incident showed a man arriving on the scene with a stepladder and attempting to break the back window of the vehicle, but failed to do so. This good Samaritan was quickly assisted by another man who grabbed the ladder, smashed the window and pulled the mother and daughter from the blazing vehicle.
While the mother and daughter continue to recover, it is still not clear what ultimately caused the fatal crash.
Individuals wishing to assist Sebastian and Hailey can do so via https://www.gofundme.com/f/fundraiser-for-car-crash-victims?member=13364617.
So far, $3,690 has been raised.