How many tragedies can one family endure? Several years after surviving a traumatic shooting, members of a family died in a boating accident.
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The boating accident happened over the weekend in California. Sadly, only an 11-year-old boy survived after several members of a family went into the water. The boy was the cousin of two other boys on the boat, who previously survived a mass shooting.
In 2017, Tiffany Phommathep was driving her children to school when a shooter opened fire on the car. During the shooting, her sons Johnny and Jake were injured. Sadly, both boys, now teenagers, were on the boat along with Tiffany's husband, Johnny Phommathep.
The family went out on a crabbing trip in Bodega Bay when the boating accident occurred. The boat ended up capsized due to rough waters, according to ABC 7. Authorities only found a 11-year-old survivor.
"He self-rescued. He was able to make it to shore and stayed the night on the shore. In the morning, he walked up and was found by passersby on Highway 1 and he survived. It's really miraculous that he made it," said Misti Wood, a spokesperson for the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.
Boating Accident Follows Mass Shooting
They later found Johnny Jr.'s body. As for the other four missing boaters, Coast Guard believes they have also perished. "The survivability at this point is unlikely," Read said.
After 57 hours of searching, the Coast Guard suspended search for the family.
"The decision to suspend a search is always difficult to make and never done lightly," Chief Warrant Officer Michael L. Zapawa said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the missing boaters during this incredibly difficult time."
Tiffany is devastated over the boating accident. She's mother to four surviving kids with the youngest just three months old. Tiffany's friend Sara Lobdell set up a GoFundMe for the family.
The family previously survived a mass shooting. Both Johnny Jr. and Jake were 10 and 7 in 2017 when neighbor Kevin Neal opened fire on the family. He rear-ended their vehicle and started firing at them. Tiffany protected her children by using her own body as a shield at the time.
"I just kept on praying that he'd go away because I can't take another bullet. I knew I wouldn't make it," Tiffany told KCRA. She ended up getting shot four times. Her two sons also were shot as well.
It's a sad time for the family.
