Community rallies around toddler orphaned in Kootenay crash
Posted January 18, 2023 6:46 am.
Last Updated January 18, 2023 7:22 am.
People are rallying around a two-year-old girl who has been orphaned, apparently losing her entire family in a crash in the Kootenays of which she was the only survivor.
A GoFundMe page set up to support Meadow Moonflower Mullaney identifies her 25-year-old mother Ashley, 26-year-old father Habib, and eight-day-old brother Vincent as the victims of a crash Monday afternoon on the highway near Castlegar.
The organizer of the fundraiser — an apparent family friend — says Meadow’s “grandmother is graciously taking her in and is going to need us, a village, to help them through this.”
The community has responded, making hundreds of donations which totalled more than $45,000 early Wednesday morning, more than twice the goal.
Many people have left messages of support, sympathy, heartbreak, and condolence.
“The money is going to be used to support and raise meadow as she goes through this unbelievable transition,” reads the GoFundMe.
The crash happened Monday at about 4:00 pm on Highway 3A, north of Castlegar.
Investigators believe the family car was making a U-turn and ended up in the path of a pickup truck.
When first responders arrived, bystanders were reportedly giving first aid but only the two-year-old in the car survived, along with the driver of the truck who had just minor injuries.
