On Thursday, April 25, a 39-year-old woman, now identified as Crystal Njepu, suffered a medical emergency while driving. This caused the vehicle to crash into a Texas river. Inside her car were her three children and, unfortunately, Njepu and her one-year-old daughter, Annah, died as a result.
Videos by Wide Open Country
According to a news release issued by the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the incident took place at around 4:44 p.m. at 17300 Market Street in Channelview, Texas. As Njepu was driving, she suddenly suffered what is believed to be a medical emergency. As a result, she drove her 2020 Kia Telluride outside the roadway and onto a gravel road.
The vehicle came to a sudden stop for about a minute. However, the SUV accelerated onto a grassy area and eventually fell into the San Jacinto River.
"The vehicle began to sink in a rapid rate and also was taken by the current under the bridge," the news release reads.
Loss Of Life And Rescue
A witness at the time was able to enter the area and break the back window of the Kia. He managed to save the front passenger and the back left passenger from the SUV. Upon arrival, EMS found that the driver, Crystal Njepu, had no signs of life. After retrieving the vehicle from the water, EMS located a "juvenile female" in the right back passenger seat. Annah, the one-year-old, had no apparent signs of life.
According to KHOU, the surviving passengers, a five and a seven-year-old, were transported to a local hospital and are expected to recover. A GoFundMe further confirmed the identities of both Crystal and Annah, revealing that the crash survivors were Crystal's seven-year-old daughter and five-year-old son.
Major Cedric Collier talked about the incident at a news conference, regretting the circumstances of the crash and praising the witness's actions that saved the lives of the two children.
"The witness dove in the water and rescued those children," Collier said. "We're very grateful for his bravery to save those children."
Currently, the case remains under investigation, carried out by the Harris County Sheriff's Office, Vehicular Crimes Division, as per the news release.
