On Feb. 19, 2013, a 4-year-old girl dragged her 2-year-old sister from the wreckage of a car after a terrible crash on killed their mom, then hid in some nearby bushes until they were found hours later. According to Steven DuBois of Associated Press, authorities estimate the sisters were alone in the frigid woods for several hours as many motorists passed it by Wednesday morning.
Jessica Rath, the girls' 26-year-old mother from Astoria was driving along the Washington coastline to pick up her fisherman husband near Long Beach Tuesday night.
While on her long drive, she learned via phone around midnight that her husband had actually come into the Port of Portland, so she turned around and headed there against his advice to head back home instead of driving to Portland.
Rath told him she was OK to drive to Portland.
Sometime after that, troopers believe she fell asleep behind the wheel, driving off of SR-401 near Naselle and slammming head-on into a tree.
Jessica Rath, wife and mother of two died at the scene.
Her 2-year-old daughter was severely injured in the crash. Police said the 4-year-old girl dragged her sister and a blanket from the car, and hid in nearby bushes for hours.
At about around 8 a.m., a passer-by noticed the damaged trees and stopped to check out what had happened. That person discovered the crash scene, along with the injured girls, and went for help.
The girls were taken to a hospital in Astoria and later flown to Oregon Health & Sciences University for further treatment. Troopers said their father is with the girls at the hospital.
Two-year-old Lylah Huff is at OHSU, but there is no word on her condition.
Arianna Rath, her heroic 4-year-old sister, was released from the hospital by Wednesday night.
Washington State Patrol continues to investigate the crash.
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