A Lethbridge family is speaking out after a tragic crash near Irricana that killed three people and seriously injured their five-year-old grandchild, Delilah Bruisedhead.
On the morning of April 20, RCMP said an SUV and a car collided, shutting down Highway 9 for several hours.
The little girl’s aunt, 23-year-old Kelly-Ann Bruisedhead and her fiance, 24-year-old Jacob Cummings were killed in the crash.
“Those two had a bright future,” Kelly-Ann’s mother, Mariada Bruisedhead, said.
“No parent should have to go through this and our lives are upside down now.”
A 69-year-old woman in a separate vehicle was also killed.
Delilah was airlifted to the Alberta Children’s Hospital in serious condition.
“She broke both her legs so they put rods in those and she broke her left upper arm, she also had multiple fractures to her face,” Delilah’s grandfather, Pernell Bruisedhead, said. “The next day they also discovered she had fractured her right elbow.”
A funeral was held for the couple on Monday in Lethbridge.
Meanwhile, Bruisedhead’s family has set up a GoFundMe to raise money for Delilah as she continues to recover at home.
“It’s nothing short of a miracle that she’s still here with us,” Parnell said. “She’s the miracle baby.”
“We have nothing but words of praise for the type of care Delilah received while she was at the Children’s Hospital.”
Alberta RCMP said during a five-week period between April 1 and May 6, there were 19 fatal crashes in the province, killing 28 people.
“When you break it right down and think about it, that’s 28 people whose families are now dealing with tragic losses in their lives,” RCMP Cpl. Curtis Peters said.
“That’s a lot and those [crashes] were mostly preventable.”
Those numbers are not the highest Alberta roadways have seen. RCMP said during the same time period last year, there were 28 fatal crashes in Alberta that killed 32 people.
And with May long weekend around the corner, RCMP warn more vehicles are expected out on Alberta highways.
“Long weekends always result in additional traffic,” Peters said. “The biggest thing is to slow down, take your time and arrive alive.”
The cause of the collision that killed Delilah’s aunt and uncle is still under investigation, but her family hopes drivers will take RCMP officers’ warning seriously.
“Watch out for the other person,” Mariada said. “Remember they’re out there and they have children, they have parents, they have loved ones.”
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