An Alaska toddler is without both parents after surviving a devastating head-on collision that claimed the lives of her mother and father.
Sasha Hart, 38, and her husband, David Hart, 41, were driving along the Parks Highway near milepost 115 in Trapper Creek, Alaska, when the crash occurred at about 9 a.m. on October 19.
Their two-year-old daughter, Paige, survived the wreck but sustained six broken bones.
According to a dispatch report from the Alaska Department of Public Safety, troopers determined in their preliminary investigation that Sasha was driving a black 2018 Subaru Forester southbound when it crossed the center line and struck a northbound white 2008 Ford F-250 head-on.
The Hart family has called Paige’s survival a “miracle,” KTUU reported. After being treated at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, the child was transferred to an Anchorage hospital for further care. She is now listed in stable condition.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety has been contacted for additional information as the investigation continues.
David’s sister, Shery Elterman-Hart, told the outlet that the couple had celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary shortly before the fatal crash.
She said Sasha and David built a family life that brought together Sasha’s Jamaican heritage and David’s Alaskan roots.
Sasha Hart, 38, (right) and her husband, David Hart, 41, (left) were killed in a crash on the Parks Highway near Trapper Creek, Alaska, at about 9 a.m. on October 19. Source: Facebook/@David Hart
Paige Hart, David and Sasha’s two-year-old daughter, survived the collision but suffered six broken bones. Source: Facebook/David Hart
David’s sister, Shery Elterman-Hart, said the couple, pictured, had recently marked their 10th anniversary before the crash. Source: Facebook/David Hart
Speaking about Sasha, Elterman-Hart said: “She just became one of us. We were really close with David before they met, but then when she came, she just sort of lumped right in.”
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David’s sister Katie Ragsdale recalled how much the couple enjoyed raising Paige and being parents.
“She was their entire world. I don’t know if it’s Paige’s house or their house,” Ragsdale told the outlet, joking about the toddler’s central place in the family.
Relatives said Paige’s personality, facial expressions and love of sweets frequently remind them of her parents.
“You still have a piece of them, a living piece of them still on Earth,” Ragsdale said.
The family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover Paige’s medical bills and future needs. Elterman-Hart plans to raise the orphaned child with her husband and their two sons.
“As Shery rushes to be with Paige, traveling to Anchorage with her husband and their two boys, the family is being asked to carry an overwhelming amount of grief, uncertainty, and urgent need all at once,” the fundraiser’s description states.
“My heart is broken. David and Sasha were amazing parents who impacted so many. I worked with David for years and Sasha was such a light with the biggest smile every time I saw her. This tragedy is so unfair,” one of David’s friends wrote on Facebook.
Elterman-Hart (right) plans to help raise Paige, the two-year-old orphaned child, with her husband and their two sons. Source: Facebook/Shery Elterman-Hart
The head-on crash occurred near milepost 115 on the Parks Highway, outside a Three Bears gas station in Trapper Creek, Alaska.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety said in its dispatch report that Sasha Hart crossed the center line while traveling south, striking a northbound white 2008 Ford F-250.
The fundraiser has collected nearly $30,000 toward its $35,000 target.
The fundraiser’s organizers, including Shery Elterman-Hart, Sean Elterman and Genevieve Chacho, have been contacted for comment.
