10-year-old is only survivor of crash that killed her siblings and dad, family says

A 10-year-old Ohio girl is the only survivor of a crash that left her father and siblings dead, according to officials and her family.

The girl was riding in an SUV with her sister, 17, brother, 13, and 43-year-old dad on July 20 in western Pennsylvania when the fatal wreck happened, according to a Pennsylvania State Police report.

It was half an hour past midnight, near Slippery Rock Township, north of Pittsburgh, when their SUV veered across the opposite lane and went off road, troopers said. The vehicle hit two utility poles but kept going, cutting through a yard and slamming into a parked car, which sent the SUV into the air, launching it into several trees before coming to a stop on top of the car it had just hit.

The girl’s family members were pronounced dead at the scene, troopers said. She suffered “severe” injuries and was taken to a hospital by helicopter.

It’s not clear what caused the crash, but an investigation is underway.

Three days later, an Ohio school district identified the girl, Aubrey Bogacki, as one of its own.

“I am saddened to inform you that one of our families with children enrolled in our middle school has recently suffered a most tragic loss, resulting from an automobile crash,” Howland Local School District said in a July 23 Facebook post. Her brother, Grant, also went to middle school in the district.

The district is in Warren, Ohio, which is about a 55-mile drive southeast from downtown Cleveland.

“We know a variety of emotions will follow and want to be there to support this family’s mother, Nicole, as she and her extended family grieve and work to cope with this tragedy and the recovery of Aubrey,” the district said.

As condolences and gestures of support pour in to the family, Aubrey is just beginning to recover from her catastrophic injuries.

She’s in a medically induced coma, her body riddled with broken bones and pins to set them straight, her aunt, Amy Lynn Mike, said in a series of Facebook posts following Aubrey’s progress.

“Today we have a few little setbacks but nothing our little angel can’t overcome,” Mike said, adding that Aubrey’s left lung collapsed, a worrying but not uncommon development for someone so badly injured.

“We know she is still stronger than a bull because when they let the meds wear off to do various tests she fights us like crazy and loves yelling at the nurses,” Mike said.

Aubrey is “improving every day,” she said, and her family and the doctors caring for her hope they’ll be able to remove her breathing tube soon.

“All we can say is, PLEASE KEEP PRAYING,” Mike said. “Your prayers are working.”

This story was originally published July 24, 2024 at 11:56 AM with the headline "10-year-old is only survivor of crash that killed her siblings and dad, family says."