ST. LOUIS — The family of six children who lost their mother in a car accident last week needs the community’s support after the tragedy.
Five of six children have been released from the hospital following the fatal accident last Friday that claimed the life of Whitney Thomas and 63-year-old Rasim Mustedanagic.
Thomas’ fiancé lost control of his SUV and crashed into Mustedanagic’s truck on the opposite side of Riverview Drive around 9:30 Friday morning.
“Zakayia, my little body of armor. She was holding them at the back of the truck not knowing the extent of her injuries," Linda Richardson, an aunt, said.
Thomas and the driver of the truck died at the scene. Her fiancé and Zakayia, the oldest child, are still recovering in the hospital with serious injuries.
“(Whitney) still has one in the hospital who has to fight just to recover,” Richardson said. “She has a severe spinal injury. We are leaving it in God's hands because man has no word against God that she will walk again."
Thomas’ sisters describe her as energetic and always there when she was needed. Most importantly her six kids were always her top priority.
"She was a great mother, a great mother," Dorthy Phillips, Whitney’s sister, said.
Six children, who range in age from 11-years-old to six months, will stay together if their aunts have anything to say about it.
“I am going to fight my hardest and make sure my nieces and nephews have everything they need because no matter what my sister would want them together all of them," Richardson said.
A major emphasis because Thomas and her siblings grew up separately.
The family sends prayers to everyone affected by the crash. They are thankful for the support of their family and community who have helped care for the kids. But in the absence of Thomas, the sisters need more community help.
They need clothes, coats, diapers and even games or iPads to help keep the children’s minds off of the tragedy that they lived through last Friday.
The family has started a GoFundMe for help.
