Saturday, September 22, 2007

Family of teen killed in Labor Day Weekend crash can't afford to bury her

Hetty Chang reporting.

A tragic accident over Labor Day Weekend killed four Las Vegas teens; one of the victims has yet to be laid to rest.

The crash near Baker, California killed two sisters: Tatiana Thornhill and Chennell Jones. During funeral services last week, the family could only afford to bury Tatiana.

The mother, Robin Stumps, was in that accident. She is the only one who survived. Stumps will never fully recover from her injuries and her jaw is now wired shut, but that didn't stop her from speaking with News 3 about giving her daughter Chennell a final resting place.

Robin Stumps survived the unthinkable. A horrific car crash that killed all four teens in the car. Stumps says she has no memory of what happened. "All I know is that I woke up and I was in the hospital... never knew nothing," Stumps explains.

But what Stumps can remember is something no parent should ever have to hear. "I remember them coming in and telling me that... they had all passed away. They told me they didn't have a seat belt on. Chenelle wore a seatbelt. I just wanted someone to tell me that she was wearing a seat belt because she always wore one."

Chenelle turned 15 just two days before her death. Her mother says she was genius; a writer; someone who was proud to call her mom. Now Stumps feels not only grief but also guilt that she buried one daughter but not the other. "Awful, awful... I just feel like I live in a city that has so much money and we've been trying and nobody's helping. I lost two kids, two young girls, and we're doing everything we can."

The family has held car washes to collect donations but they are still $5,000 short of some sort of closure and at least a little peace of mind. "It's not fair for her to lay like that. We've worked so hard to get them everything... keep them in good schools. I can't bury my child."

The driver of the car, Diaunte Flannigan, and Chennell's friend Jada Carrier were also killed in the crash.





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