A mother and her one-year-old child have died after her SUV plunged into a river in Houston, Texas.
Crystal Hall Njepu, 39, and her daughter Annah, “tragically drowned in a heartbreaking accident”, a GoFundMe appeal by their family said.
Two other two children, her five-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter, were inside the vehicle at the time but survived, the post by shared Njepu’s sister said.
A man who saw the car plunge into the San Jacinto River in southeast Texas on Friday jumped into the water, broke a window and saved the two older siblings, Harris County Sheriff's Office said. The surviving children are said to be recovering and are being cared for by their aunt, according to KHOU11.
The tragedy unfolded at around 4:45 p.m. along Market Street in Channelview, Texas. HCSO said the SUV stopped abruptly then continued accelerating into the grassy verge and the water. A bystander saw the car sinking rapidly and starting to submerge as it got caught in a current that carried it under a bridge, reported ABC News.
A team of divers and a marine search unit managed to pull the mother and her young infant from the water, but both were unresponsive.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez believes the mother had “some sort of medical emergency” before the crash, reported local outlet KHOU11.
Investigators are now trying to determine what exactly led to the vehicle driving into the water.
“Crystal leaves behind a five-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter who were miraculously rescued,” Shannon Jackson wrote on the GoFundMe appeal.
“I am humbly reaching out to ask for your support to cover their funeral cost and support the children who are now left without their mom and baby sister,” she said. “Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We will be grateful for any support.”
More than $5,000 has been raised in memory of the mother and daughter since Sunday.
