5-Year-Old Girl Stuck in Car Wreckage that Killed Her Parents for 30 Hours Before Being Rescued
One of the victims, Klariza Tarango, is remembered as “a loving mother, daughter, and friend whose kindness and light touched so many lives”
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NEED TO KNOW
- Kayce Griffin, 5, survived a car crash in Colorado that killed her parents, Devante Griffin and Klariza Tarango
- The family’s car crashed in Bayfield, Colo., on May 1, around 6 a.m.
- Kayce spent over 30 hours in the wreckage until first responders found her
A 5-year-old girl spent over 30 hours next to her parents’ deceased bodies as the sole survivor of a car crash.
Kayce Griffin was in a Chevrolet S10 with her father, Devante Griffin, 25, and mother, Klariza Tarango, 24, when the pickup truck drove off Highway 160 and rolled over in Bayfield, Colo., on May 1, the Colorado State Police said in a press release.
Since the crash was not visible from the roadway, the vehicle was not discovered until around 12:30 p.m. on May 2, CSP said. They believe the crash happened at around 6 a.m. on May 1, according to the CSP statement. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
No one was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith told Tri City Record. Kayce was not in a car seat or booster seat, Upper Pine Chief Bruce Evans also told the outlet.
“It’s absolutely critical that people understand that your kid might get big enough to be out of a car seat, but there’s still height and weight requirements for them to be in a booster seat, and a lot of parents are not familiar with the requirements of a child to be in a booster seat versus into a car seat,” Evans said.
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“You’d be surprised how resilient children are,” Colorado State Patrol spokesperson Hunter Matthews told CPR News. “She remained in the vehicle. We assumed that she was comfortable being around her parents.”
When first responders arrived at the scene, Kayce started walking up the hill, Matthews told the outlet. She sustained minor injuries and was transported to Mercy Hospital in Durango, Colo. She has since been released and is now in her grandfather’s custody.
Kayce was “very lucky” to have survived, Evans told Tri City News. He emphasized the “critical” importance of placing children in booster seats instead of opting for no car seat.
Devante was the driver, according to CPR News.
“At this time, impairment and excessive speed are not being investigated as factors leading to this crash,” CSP said in a statement, adding that they do not expect charges to be filed in the case.
Devante’s mother created a GoFundMe page, and Tarango’s cousins created a page to help with their separate funeral expenses.
“Klariza was a loving mother, daughter, and friend whose kindness and light touched so many lives,” Tarango’s cousins wrote.
Upper Pine River Fire Protection called the crash “both a tragedy and a miracle” for Kayce in a May 4 statement. They also shared details on signing up for a child passenger safety technician certification course.