LAKELAND, Fla. — A mother spoke for the first time Friday after a Good Samaritan jumped in to rescue her two children from a fiery car crash in Lakeland.
Logan Deines sat beside the Samaritan, AJ Slater, at Tampa General Hospital. The two have leaned on each other immensely since Nov. 7.
“It’s very empty, numb. It’s a lot of emotions that go into it,” Deines said. “It’s not easy.”
She fought back tears as she tried to express the heartache she feels after the tragic car accident injured her 3-year-old son, Walker, and killed her 5-year-old daughter, Joylynn.
“She was just a happy kid,” she said. “She was the noise in the house. Now, it’s quiet. I’m not used to it.”
Joylynn and Walker were in the car with their father when it crashed into a wooded area at the intersection of Broadway Street and Lake Parker Drive East. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said the family’s car collided with a tree, causing it to catch fire.
Slater said he jumped into action when he heard the father’s cries for help. He reached into the burning car and pulled Walker out first.
“He was in a car seat, so I fumbled with it, got it, and finally got him out,” Slater said. “I noticed that there was another person next to him in a car seat as well.”
Slater said he tried to save Joylynn, but she didn’t survive.
“I really wanted to get Joylynn out of the car as well. I think of every other scenario of what I could’ve done differently to get her out, and it eats me alive,” he said.
Deines said the thought haunts her as well, but she’s grateful Slater was able to rescue Walker, who is staying at Muma Children’s Hospital.
“If I would have lost them both that day, it would not have been good,” she said. “It would not have been good for me, especially. It would not have been good for a lot of other people.”
With the help of hospital staff, the two are trying to recover. Dr. Ram Velamuri said Slater and Walker will be okay physically.
“Both of them are stable. They did come to us in critical condition, and in my opinion, both of them are going to find a safe place to go after this,” he said.
However, emotionally, healing for this new family will take time.
“We’ll get through this,” Slater told Deines. “I’ll be with you every step of the way if you need me.”
GoFundMe accounts have been started to help with Joylynn’s funeral and to support Slater’s road to recovery.
Officials said Walker’s father, 30-year-old Kody Wills, was also taken to an area hospital to be treated for his injuries and is expected to recover.
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