A car crash in Deming, New Mexico, has ended in tragedy for a family of eight. Brad and Crystal Sparks were driving to their home in San Diego from San Antonio, Texas, with their six children on the morning of July 12 when the car veered off the side of the road and flipped upside down with the family trapped inside. Eventually, Brad and Crystal, who is seven months pregnant, managed to escape the wreckage with four of their children, but two of their kids died from their injuries.
The family was coming from a two-week trip visiting friends in Texas.
According to a GoFundMe account created by a member of the Sparks' church, Kimberly Piccolo Correia, She wrote on July 16 that the parents along with their kids Cameryn, 13, Bailey, 12, Landon, 10, Sadie, 7, Jackson 5, and Wilson, 3 were driving in near pitch-black "in the middle of what seemed to be nowhere."
"A tragedy occurred, and they lost control of their vehicle," Correia added.
Their Chevy Suburban then "veered from the road and rolled multiple times."
Ultimately, the car came to a stop when it landed upside down "in an area that passing cars could not see them," Correia added.
The car was almost "entirely crushed" and the family was suspended upside down.
Brad then used the voice command of his Apple watch to call for police.
As the dad made the urgent plea for help, some of his kids were able to free themselves and crawl out of the car and onto the side of the road "hoping to find help." Brad and Crystal, meanwhile, were unable to release themselves and were stuck in their seats for over an hour.
Eventually two medical helicopters and six ambulances arrived on the scene.
In a statement on the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, police confirmed that they responded to the call at about 12:30 a.m. The statement reveals that police believe that Crystal was driving the car at the time of the incident. "For reasons believed to be due to driver fatigue, the vehicle left the roadway and rolled," the statement reads.
But emergency crews were not able to save everyone.
Twelve-year-old Bailey and her brother, 10-year-old Landon, sustained fatal injuries.
"The female was pronounced deceased on scene by the Office of the Medical Investigator, and the male later died at the hospital," the police statement reads.
Crystal was airlifted from the scene and taken to the hospital, while Brad was eventually freed by the Jaws of Life.
Brad and his four remaining children were then rushed to two different hospitals, Correia wrote online.
"The family sustained a seemingly endless number of critical injuries," she wrote. Brad had a fractured face and a broken knee, Cameryn had a broken clavicle "and severe cuts all over her body," and Crystal had "a punctured lung, broken ribs, a broken shoulder, and a shattered foot in addition to extreme wounds on her body."
"It is a miracle that six of the eight family members were able to walk away from this horrific accident," Correia continued.
Two days later, Brad, Cameryn, Sadie, Jackson, and Wilson were released from the hospital and are currently recovering.
In an update on GoFundMe, Correia shared that mom Crystal is still in the hospital but things are looking positive. She's "improving every day," Correia wrote. "The baby appears to be fine."
Brad recently discussed the incident with CBS 8 and spoke of some fond memories of the children he lost. Of his son Landon, the dad shared that his boy "talked about everything to anybody who would listen and he was a great communicator."
"Just loved to tell stories and rehash things," he added.
His daughter Bailey loved "all things creative. She was our big girl, she was the responsible one in the family."
Brad explained that he is still shocked that he made it through the wreck relatively unscathed.
"I was flattened out pretty good," he told the news station. But for now they are still taking the loss of Landon and Bailey to heart.
"We're obviously dealing with the loss of our two kids … so, I have momentary breakdowns, just like anyone else, but spiritually I know where they are so that grounds me and allows me to breathe and keep going," he said.
Their GoFundMe page has currently raised over $220,000 for the Sparks, which is a testament to the strong community that supports them and is hoping they heal from this tragedy.
"This is a loving San Diego family that is incredibly involved in their church, putting God first before all else in their lives," Correia wrote. "We ask for your prayers and assistance in supporting this young and precious Godly family as they attempt to physically and emotionally recover from this unimaginable tragedy."
