BEDFORD, Ohio – Late Friday evening Kathi Johnson heard a loud noise – a sound that still haunts her.
“I was sitting in my living room and heard like an explosion,” she said. “My sister was in the kitchen and she raised the curtain and saw a white truck flipping over in the yards across the street.”
The truck that flipped was a part of a fatal two-car crash that happened around 9:45 Friday night.
According to Bedford Police, a mother was driving her four children through the intersection at Northfield Road and Berwyn Street. A truck slammed into the car of Maria Thorpe.
Thorpe, 30, was killed, along with two of her children, 8-year-old Zariah Roberts and 5-year-old Zyannah Roberts. The family was from Maple Heights.
Two children survived the crash. A 12-year-old girl was treated and released from the hospital.
However, a 10-year-old child remains in critical condition, Bedford Police said.
“It was horrible. It was just horri…it was just unbelievable,” Johnson said. “A smashed car and a smashed truck and a little girl screaming, ‘no, no. is this real, is this real?’”
The girl that was screaming was the 12-year-old, whom Johnson said she helped comfort as they waited for emergency crews to arrive.
“And I reached out, because I have a child, I grabbed her arm and was just rubbing her arm and trying to keep her calm,” Johnson said.
According to police reports, a 48-year-old Warrensville Heights man allegedly ran through a stoplight at that intersection, causing the crash.
He was treated for his injuries, though as of Saturday, he remained in police custody. Police say alcohol may have been a factor into the accident. He has not been charged in the case.
“It’s a shame and I believe that the intersection should be checked and people should be more careful,” said neighbor George Baker.
Among the debris, Johnson said neighbors created a makeshift memorial in honor of the family, including the two children who survived.
“Life: you have to live it like it’s your last day, because you never know,” Johnson said. “I’m sure they had no idea that when they came out yesterday evening, this thing was going to happen. You just have to live life to the fullest, each and every day. It’s a miracle that the little 12 year old is alive. It’s just a miracle.”