E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSA 4-year-old child managed to get herself and her 2-year-old sister out of a car after a crash killed their mother. A passersby found the young children stranded with their mother's dead body hours later. KING's Natalie Swaby reports from Washington.
A 4-year-old girl in Washington state pulled her little sister from the wreckage of a car crash that killed their mother, then kept the two of them warm under a blanket in the chilly rain for six hours until a passing driver found them.
State troopers said that the girls probably only survived because the older sister had the wherewithal to get them out of the car and cover them. The younger girl is 2. Both were hurt, NBC affiliate KING5 in Seattle reported.
The crash happened at about 2 a.m. Wednesday in a remote part of the state near the Pacific coast. It was after 8 when a driver noticed a fresh cut in the bark of a tree along the road — an orange gash in otherwise green and gray woods.
“I just can’t imagine what the little girls were going through,” the driver, Kraai McClure, told KING5. “It could have been a really different ending, but it is, you know, a halfway happy ending.”
The mother, 26, was on her way to pick up her husband, a fisherman, along the Washington coast, The Seattle Times reported. He told her on the phone that his boat would be coming into Portland, Ore., instead, and that she and the girls should head home, KING5 reported.
The woman, identified by troopers as Jessica Rath, apparently decided to drive to Portland anyway. Troopers said she probably fell asleep at the wheel and was killed instantly when the vehicle crashed.
“We’re lucky we had someone paying attention or we may not have found them for a long time,” Trooper Russ Winger, a spokesman for the Washington State Patrol, told The Times. “Hypothermia could have set in if they were found any later.”
Both girls were taken to a hospital in Astoria, Ore., and the 2-year-old, who troopers said was seriously injured, was later flown to Portland.
A woman died in a car crash near Naselle, Wash., early Wednesday, but her two daughters survived the accident.
Leave a Comment:
Heroes come in all sizes and genders.
Just an amazing little girl. I can't imagine where her thoughts went while waiting for the good samaritan. Prayers to her family for their loss and the survival of the girls. I hope the young one makes a recovery.
I have a two year old girl and a five year old girl. I can only hope that in an event such as this my daughter's "big sister" can deliver like this little angel did. I hope they both make a full recovery.
Bill - wonderfully said!
4 yrs old and already has the natural instinct to protect and survive. I am very impressed with her actions.
RIP Mrs. Rath. You would've been very proud of your daughter just as all of us are.
What a smart and resourceful child! Hope the little one fully recovers quickly!
Poor little tykes! I hope they get well soon and may the rest of their lives be full of joy and happiness..
Wow, what an amazing story! My heart goes out to these 2 little girls and the father... I pray that God will comfort them with their loss and that they would realize how blessed they are with the outcome of this event.
That 4 year old girl is a HERO!
'Dog, the instinct to survive is inborn, our most basic instinct. It may be tweaked throughout life, bit it is present at birth.
My little girl is almost 4. I can't even imagine her being in that type of situation. This girl really did an incredible thing. I wish them the very best.
Blessings and prayers to those little angels
It pays to pay attention. Thank God the lady was and saw the bark missing from the tree.
I thank God for nothing. A mother is still dead and her daughter severly injured. Thankfully, the young man (not lady) saw the bark and decided to investigate.
Almost right jkatze, doctors say that a fetus will try to avoid being stabbed by a needle while still in the womb. In fact, I once saw a video of one doing just that.
...and ages!!
It would apparently just kill some people to allow anyone to seek any comfort in a time of tragedy. smh
I'm with you on this one Melissa, the thanks goes to the 4-year-old girl that went beyond any reasonable expectations to save the both of them. If God were real he could have saved all three of them; hell, he could have reached down and plucked the car from the air just before it struck the tree. But that didn't happen here; not because she deserved to die, not because God works in mysterious ways, but because THERE IS NO GOD!!!! The little girl is the hero here and the fact that they're still alive is all because of her.
Lisa, I truly feel sorry for you to thanx God for nothing...wow
how horrible for the little girls and dad, cant imagine the pain they are experiencing right now...and the sadness and heavy hearts they'll carry with them for a long time to come.
or the anguish and anger the dad is going to have, wondering why on earth his wife made such a horrible and selfish decision, not just putting her own life in danger...but the girls life too.
i hope that as time passes, they will all find a way to heal from these unbearable wounds.
it wont be easy, but I hope it will happen. not everyone recovers despite surviving.
So it appears the 4-yr-old girl had more common sense than her 26-yr-old mother behind the wheel. It's so easy to avoid accidents like these: don't drive half-asleep at 3 in the morning! Duh!
@fascisthater: A woman is dead and her little girls are motherless and that's all you have to say? How about a little compassion.
IWonder-932455: Nothing like dragging your personal views about abortion into any topic whatsoever. Frankly, I wonder how a person can be so obsessed with his own moral superiority. This is a tragic incident that was somewhat lessened by the amazing actions of a 4-year-old. When you find yourself carrying a child, feel free to open your piehole. In the meantime, get over yourself and take a moment to appreciate this inspiring story.
What a smart little angel. Such a sad story though. I hope the younger one is OK. RIP to the poor mother.
Wow you're a real piece of work, IWonder-932455.
Denver,
You forgot to mention that heros also come from different ethnic race. Why just size and sex? A bit too narrow minded living in a green zone.
It was a true, beautiful love the woman showed to her man. She could have took the kids home but decided to drive to Portland, Oregon. Under the uncontrolled circumstance, the kids perfectly, scientifically demonstrated amazing human instinct.
jkatze, The instinct to survive is in fact born into us but to love and rescue our injured two year old sister is not. It is a learned and thought out behavior and a response not of instinct.
Oh no, really Itani...must state every single possible option for humans?
You make me groan.
Everyone else saying God bless the kids, the mom the dad...if god was the blessing type this would not have happened.
“I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born.”
~ Ronald Reagan
I didn't mention it because the article was about a little girl. Not a little black girl, not a little white girl, not a little latino girl ....... a little girl. If you were insulted because I wasn't inclusive enough, well, tough sh!t.
@ fascisthater, so you have never had to pick someone up at 3 AM before? How was he supposed to get home? "Oh sorry honey, I can't pick you up because I need to sleep longer. Just sit there in the rain and cold for another few hours...." She probably didn't realize that she was that tired still. Most people don't if they have already had a few hours sleep. It is a tragedy. Sure, it is possible she could have avoided this but I don't think the woman necessarily wanted to die in a car accident. Geez! God bless the little girls and their daddy.
A bad day for me is a piece of sand in my shoe.
Unbelievable Itani Milleni, maybe you should drag gays & lesbians into this discussion too. You are pathetic, and I feel sorry for you!
Sherron, you may not believe that there is a God--that is your choice. But to say that one does NOT exist is awfully arrogant. How do you KNOW that? There is no way to know if God exists or not. I have no problem with agnostics because they realize there is no way to prove it, and so they say that the don't know if God exists. They are skeptical but open to any possibilities still. But to completely deny any possibility that God could exist shows willful ignorance.
Melissa, you sure sound bitter...
smart kid - well trained.
Janine - since we are dealing with the supernatural, there is no way to prove it either way. Remember this, though - IF you accept the premise of ONE "supernatural item" you essentially allow for any and all of them - the ghoulies and cghopsties and long legged beasties and things that go BUMP in the night as well. Reality (what you can see, feel, measure) is what is there.
I DON'T ACCEPT anything "SUPERNATURAL" - none of it - particularly not "big daddy, junior or da spook". what you choose to accept is up to you, and, given your previous statements, I will ridicule you for it.
Arrogance is based in EVIDENCE - I can say DEFINITIVELY that "unicorns" do not exist. IS THAT ALSO ARROGANT? IF SO, WHY?
ah, shiite - I accidentally marked my OWN post as advertising and inflammatory trying to tell tamra to stick it where the sun never shines. Guess i should READ better...
hey tamra - maybe you aren't happy that wilson* evidently got BANNED - guess what - you're NEXT (which happened I watched)
Sometimes words, any words, just can't do justice. The little 4 year old. Oh me! The little 2 year old. May She recover. Dad,get to your babies and grieve with them for Mom.
yo tamra - fuc you and the horse you rode in on (reported yet again)
mac - the two year old may or may not remember what happened. The four year old will for sure. She needs love and attention
Janiine, I have read several of your posts here and on other articles. You have a long way to go when it comes to meaningful rationale.
Everyone posting here is saddened by this tragedy but you and a few others insist that getting a ride for the husband this night was more important than the safety of those precious children and the dead mother.................. Even the father "probably" knew that and told her to go back home.
Unfortunately, the mother made a deadly decision, killing herself and nearly her children as well. YOU ARE SO WRONG. Do you really believe that people don't know when they are sleepy and drousy at the wheel of a vehicle?????????
If you do, I will change you from the "weak rationale" category to the "sheer ignorant" category.
I know a little something about driving when you are tired. In the military, I used to work these 12 hour watches 6 to 6 and then have to drive home after. You also had to conduct your normal daily routines everyone else did, so you'd usually have around 6 hours sleep. When you were on the mid (night watches) you also had the difficulty of sleeping while everyone else was awake and making noise. I remember one time, driving home on the highway. I remember seeing the exit just before my turn off. Then, there was the exit after my exit. There was a good 10 miles there I was driving nearly or fully asleep.
Ladies, I know it is difficult for you to accept, but sometimes your husbands are correct. He told her not to try and drive there to pick him up in the middle of the night and it is a shame she didn't listen.
Sad that the young man who stopped isn't also being called a hero. If he hadn't stopped it wouldn't have mattered that the 4 year old pulled her sister from the car after a few days of exposure to the elements.
my heart goes out for the little ones,
I'm proud of the four year old and her instincts, but cry for her situation.
You seem to feel that you have a very logical position-and I can sort of see the logic in it because you seem to view a belief in any of the supernatural as opening a door to all of the supernatural; however, the way you put things in your statement it sounds like you are sort of making a jump from that to trying to tell people what they MUST believe in their own minds when they accept the supernatural (by saying that if they believe in this, then they MUST believe in that.) The problem with making that very large jump you seem to be making is that you can never really know what another person believes and trying to tell someone what you THINK they believe is actually worse than telling them what they SHOULD believe. This seems to happen to me a lot-people are always trying to tell me what THEY THINK I believe as a Christian as if they have a link to the secrets of my mind and they are revealing some surprise to me, but they are always incorrect. After all, I know what I personally believe better than someone else does-and I think most people know better than someone else does. If a person says they believe in God but not in "ghoulies," then what makes you think you know better than they do what they actually believe? Besides, where is it written-and why is it only logical-that if someone believes in one supernatural "thing" then they must believe in all of them? That's like saying that if you believe in one God you have to believe in all of them. Can't a person choose what they want to believe anymore?
I'm sure you haven't liked it if you have been told what to believe by Christians or others. People also don't like being told that they "must" believe such and such if they are __— or if they also believe___. Often people justify doing this by saying it was done to them for so long, but if you didn't like it being done to you, then why would it be okay for you to do it to others?
"There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it."
George Bernard Shaw
Wow. Such tragedy and such courage to get her sister out instead of hiding or running, and such resourcefulness to cover them up and stay warm enough to survive. Wow. What an amazing way to react to a terrifying and painful situation. I'm sorry for their loss and happy to know that the children have a father still and are together. Best wishes for them all.
Wow.
Sounds like two heroes in this story.
Best wishes the kids and the driver.
Exactly, Monkey. Thank you for recognizing the act of the driver. He took the time to investigate when he saw the fresh gash in the bark of a tree when most people would have simply driven on. The 4-year-old and the driver are both heroes!
Although Jessica Rath died in this terrible tragedy, I just have to say how wonderful and amazing I believe she must have been as a mother.For surely,in that brief time she had with her daughters, it is so very clear to me, there was so much wisdom, love and tenderness passed on. I have seen how other children have acted at accidents. This is different.
Can we have any doubts, the older daughter frequently got a blanket for her younger sister? Is there the slightest possible question, she had helped carry her sister from place to place,beginning from birth, even at times when the little babe felt ill? Of course not! So why would this angelic spirit hesitate for a moment, to free the wee one?
For surely her mother taught what important duties big sister had, to always protect her little sister, especially in times of trouble, if mommy couldn't. I can just image that brave soul telling her mommy, she was taking care of her sister and being a good girl, not to worry. So mommy could sleep.And that very wise mother, had even thought to keep a blanket in the car, in case it should be needed. An act of common sense and caring,a loving mother's parting gift to help ensure her children live to see another day. That four year old is truly a guardian angel, I suspect she will always be.
May you be at peace sweet mother, your babes are in good hands.My prayers that your family will be surrounded by all who love them, your children grow up filled with a knowledge of how much you loved them. May peace and comfort come to all who mourn at this time. Huge Kudos to those who found these children.For being observant enough, willing to follow their instincts, help these precious two little ones and bring closure to the accident sooner.
The story is an amazing one, but do you always post such long rambling tedious regurgitations on every such article
Well said Windancer...your comments brought tears to my eyes.
I'd be glad to help with contributions of any kind if anyone knows of a fund or site set up for them.
Mine too, very well said Windancer.
Windancer. This story seems to have affected you greatly. I enjoyed reading your post as it stated feelings I wasn't sure I could put into words. Thank you.
If you'll notice, everyone else who posted in #4, didn't take a stab at Windy because it was thoughtful and very beautiful. You'll also notice there avatar names.
Now, take a look at your post. Then take a look at your avatar name... See what I mean?!
The bigger the heart, the more meaningful, beautiful and bigger the post.
The smaller the heart, the opposite of said.
Windancer,
I'm a Vet who has seen his share of terrible things, you brought tears to my eyes, your compassion for others shines through your sweet words. God Bless the kids and the driver who found them.
Although this sweet child is being deemed a hero, I am more at awe knowing that our great Saviour gave this child the wisdom to perform those acts. HE was present with those two children for 6 hours. HE guided the passing driver's eyes to that tree near the wreckage. May the hand of God carry this family through the next days of mourning. Thank you, Lord, for protecting these children. May they use the loss of their mother as a stepping stone to seeking You one day! God's plan works perfectly - He means to bring GOOD to every seemingly tragic event. Praise God! Praise God!
There is room for windancer AND PoorBustard. People cope differently. Windancer brought tears to my eyes and Poor made me bark out a laugh. Both are just fine coping skills!
@Creek Dog
Winddancer posts the same mawkish text for any such tragedy.Cloying and repetitive You can be sure that except for a few name changes, more or less the same message will be posted for the next such story that appears.
So what your trying to say Poorbustard is that Winddancer shows compassion at times of tragedy. The Nerve of such a poster I can see why this would bother you. smh
PoorBustard....you know it is o.k. just to like a comment & not attack them right? Maybe Winddancer is long winded bit most definitely shows empathy...you had to attack her for a good attribute?
Howcum Joy 123456's post didn't offer an opportunity to vote?
You can be sure that except for a few name changes, more or less the same message will be posted for the next such story that appears.
PoorBustard
And it is good every time...
All I did was point out that WD keeps repetitively posting the same boilerplate text for such stories.A one-size-fits-all comment style becomes distractingly tedious. And does it really show empathy if it seems like a cut and paste job every time ? You are free to eulogize their comments and I am free to have my analysis.
Wind dancer,very well put...You said what I could only wish to say..My prayers are with the driver that found them..They are also with those precious 2 lil angels and thier father...Any surviveing family of the 2 girls..I know as a mother she would of been very proud of her daughter..I have 2 daughters...I couldn,t imgine them going thro that at that age...May the angels always be with them 2 girls...Many blessings to the family...
Poorbustard,
I understand what "you" are saying.
What I don't understand is, why take a stab at Windy if you don't like the post?
Put it this way, take a look at how many hits Windy received, then take a look at how many hits you received.
Bottom line is, You both obviously write from the heart.
@Creek Dog
People like Thomas Kincaid paintings too, and WD's post is the textual version of such a painting every time. I think that visual example says it clearly enough, without excessive verbosity unlike WD. This has run its course.
WOW people are brutal. All i think is that i would pray that my children would take care of each other and god would help them if heaven borbid something ever happened to my family. Peace out :)
Well, Poorbustard, simply don't read it next time if it bothers you so much.
Poorbustard,
I prefer to compare Windy's posts to Norman Rockwell paintings. You see, they're all very similar yet so far apart that they tell a different yet great story every time.
OK, enough of the Poorbustard roast. Even though we don't all agree on each individuals posts, doesn't mean that we can't all get along and go have a beer changing the subject...
Take care...
I think compassion and empathy should not whitewash reality.
Perhaps im the only one who's questioning why this woman would choose to drive so far, so late at night with 2 small children, while very tired, when it's absolutely not necessary?
I know why she did it, she thought only of the reward of seeing her husband (maybe even surprising him) and thought nothing of the risk.
This does not make her a bad mother, of course not.
But make no mistake, she's not mother of the year either.
I am glad the two little girls will make it, I sincerely hope that emotionally this doesnt destroy the lives they have yet to live. I hope that the father is able to guide them and help them as best as he can, and make sure that these girls know that their mother loved them...but also know that their mother made a mistake, once that hopefully never gets repeated in this family again.
Mistakes are meant to be learned from, not swept under the rug and then passed off as miracles by GOD or something else.
Jessica since I am not sure how far she was from Portland when she changed course nor do I know how far from home she was (and I doubt you know those figures), I dont know which would have been the shortest trip. For all we know she could have been closer to Portland. Do I think it is bad judgment to drive while tired - yes I do - but she would have been tired no matter which way she went.
She was on the road to Astoria from Naselle. She was not headed to Portland. She had been going to pick her husband up from work at the place where his boat was supposed to be docking that night. She wasn't going up there for a visit, or to surprise him in the middle of the night. It must be nice to live in a little sheltered world where families don't have to rely on only one vehicle or parents work the night shift.
PoorBustard, maybe that is just the way WD writes. Geez!
go away tamra - don't go away mad, just go away AND DON'T CUM BACK
My thought and prayers those babies and may god speed the there full recovery that lil girl is a hero in my book! god bless those babies
If I was driving along a road and saw that tree gash, my first thought would be that maybe some forestry equipment had damaged it for some reason. For the woman who investigated this tree gash, she deserves a medal. I live on the South Oregon Coast and we have the same thick forests with a lot of logging activity. That is what I would have thought it was and maybe barely noticed it unless I saw the car at the same time.
I think it's times like that that we need to listen to our "inner voices." It's one of those situations when you just feel something is wrong. If you think about it too much, you can talk yourself out of listening to that little inner voice. Whenever I don't pay attention to it, I'm always wrong.
I think our inner voice are angels communicating with us through our spiritual antenna. I'm so glad that Good Samaritan listened to her inner voice that urged her to check out that tree!
Do you know what I mean?
Folks while my womens lib gene might want the girls to have been found by a curous and observant woman, that isn't the case, they were found by an observant and curious man, way to go Kraii. In fact in a different report he pointed out he was just a helper the hero was the 4 year old.
Amazing little girl. How she had the presence of mind to do what she did and keep her and her sister safe, in the dark, for 6 hours. Wow. And kudos to the woman who stopped. I don't think, based on what she said made her take notice, that it would have occurred to me to stop.
Hello - it was a man who stopped to investigate. Not that it makes any difference. A lesson for us all and how amazing such a young child had the presence of mind to get her sister and herself somewhat protected!
Hello - it doesn't say if the driver who stopped to investigate was a man or a woman, but the name would suggest a woman!
Yes but remember here wea are reading MSNBC who sometimes miss facts and quotes: the following from AP - there were two people in the car that stopped to help -
"Kraai McClure and Scott Beautler were driving by the spot when they stopped to check out the gashed tree trunk, they told KING-TV. They found the woman dead and the little girls huddled in the cold and rain.
Beautler called the 4-year-old a hero.
"We were just doing a deed," he told KING. "She saved her sister's life.""
Hope they recover quickly, amazing little girl to be able to do what she did. Parents taught her well! Prayers to the family.
Even the smallest persons can change the course of the future... their
future.
Thoughts and prayers are with this family. I am 25 years old and completely stunned that a 4 year old girl had the thinking to pull her 2 year old sister out and cover them with a blanket. This is a terrible tragedy but this little girl acted heroically. Her mother would have been extremely proud
I can picture the brave little girl getting her little sis out, so adorable. But at the same time, it is so sad that their mother is gone. Hopefully the accident won't haunt them for too long, and they make quick recovery both physically and mentally. God bless the family as well as the hero driver.
The Almighty God was there protecting the little girls from the elements. Don't ask me why God allowed the mother to fall asleep behind the wheel. The only thing I know is God protected the passengers who were not in control of the car. God has life plans for these two girls that is why He allowed them to survive. Praise the Lord.
Keep your God, it was a human being that saved them and that is a person who I liked to give a beer to.
Keep your beer and just thank them, as for God, There was a reason, just natural people are to denseand pridefull to see what has happened in the grand scheme of things.
Heartbreaking story, but at least the father still has his daughters. What a brave and smart little girl!
I'm glad both little angels are alive and well. Sad for the mother.
Sad about the mother.
If anyone knows how to get ahold of this family I would love to send them a care package! I am a fire fighter and mother of six and it just breaks my heart for this family! I just could think why this mother did not stop if she was tired......the four year old needs a medal along with the person that found them!
Female Fire Fighter... I noticed you want to get a hold of the family? I personally know the father... He is an old friend of mine. If you would like more info you can email me at dolphinluv31@live.com
This was our friend. I'm heartbroken that I have to read about her in the news. Her poor girls; I can't even imgaine how horrifying that must have been. This version of the story doesn't tell it, but the little girl asked the first responders to help her mommy....
OMG.
That little family will need all the friends they can find. I hope you're able to spend time with them. It's easy to drop off a casserole in the beginning, but the long haul hurts. So sorry for the loss of your friend, and the trauma the babies experienced, and the man without his partner...Best wishes to all involved.
If you're a family friend, can you tell us where can we donate some money or send some clothes for these little girls? My heart breaks reading this story and I can't stop crying. I can't imagine my little boy without a mommy...
I will ask around and see if one has been set up yet, and post the details here when I find out more. Thank you!
If any of you are still interested in donating, there is a fund set up called the Huff Rath Medical Fund at Wells Fargo. Thank you!
Thanks, growninoregon, for taking the time to follow up during what must be such a sad time.
Thanks to you, too, AZMOM40, for thinking to ask about it.
Somebody set up a small online donation site for this Dad. Even if he has enough money for the funeral he may still need some money to take time off with his daughters until he can get day care for them. RIP for the Mom.
She did her Mom proud. Rest In Peace Ms.McClure
who is Ms. McClure?
The mother, they mention her name in the TV report.
the mother is not mcclure, that is the last name of the man who found them. The mother is jessica rath.
nomorewindowdressing, read the story more carefully. Here are quotes from the story above for clarification. McClure was the driver who noticed the gash in the tree, NOT the deceased mother.
“I just can’t imagine what the little girls were going through,” the driver, Kraai McClure, told KING5. “It could have been a really different ending, but it is, you know, a halfway happy ending.”
“The woman, identified by troopers as Jessica Rath, apparently decided to drive to Portland anyway. Troopers said she probably fell asleep at the wheel and was killed instantly when the vehicle crashed.”
This Sounds like a short realistic version of the movie" MAMA". Just make sure theres no imaginary friend in the closet.
what a moronic thing to say
Heart broken as well, those rainy wet roads on the pacific coast have claimed a lot of lives the girls were saved by
an angel.
I hope they will to do some follow up on this story...I. like many here. would like to know if the girls are ok!
Such bravery and courage in such a tiny package.
Thank goodness those people noticed the tree and checked it out! So, they are heroes too! What a "trooper of a little girl!" Only 4 years old and saved her 2 year old sister. What a heartbreaking story for their mom, and a great story of survival, love, and concern about the little girl and the people who saved them both!
My condolences to the family. Hugs and best wishes to both little girls and the dad!
The video report from KING5 and the printed story in the Seattle Times both say the boat was coming into ASTORIA, not Portland. Why, then, does NBCnews.com's story say the boat would be coming into Portland?
Hire English-speaking proofreaders and editors, and bring those jobs back from China.
What brave little girls. May god bless these angels, and heal their broken hearts.
What a wonderful little girl. I pray the 2 year old makes a full recovery. God Bless them and their family.