A 16-year-old girl reportedly died in a sleigh crash in eastern New York City while dying to protect her 3-year-old cousin in the tragic crash.
Renee Hill, a sophomore at Niagara Wheatfield High School, and her cousin were riding down a hill on a sledge in Lewiston’s Clyde L. Burmaster Park when they attacked a tree around 10 a.m. Saturday, as reported by officials.
They were taken by ambulance to Oishei Children’s Hospital, where Renee was pronounced dead, WIVB reported. The boy was treated and released.
Renee’s heartbroken mother, Alexis Kraft, described how the tragedy unfolded and how her daughter’s “first instinct” was to save her cousin.
“I had gone down the hill. I had my 3 year old nephew with her. He saw the tree coming. His first instinct was to put his foot down and turn the sled so that my nephew would not get hurt. He hit the tree. His heart stopped on the way to the hospital, “Kraft told WKBW.
“Everyone calls her a hero. But that was my baby, “she added.” She was our whole world. “
Renee, described as a “mother bear,” was the eldest of four children.
“She was a mother bear, for sure. I could line them up very quickly, but she was lovely and everyone loved her, ”said her mother.
“Everyone loved her,” the girl’s father, Richard Hill, told WKBW.
Renee’s lacrosse coach Joe Kiszka said the teen was a strong, quiet leader who was feared on the field but was an absolute love.
“All the parents and all the other girls on the team called him a beast because once he got to the field, he would just go really strong,” his mother added.
Renee’s parents thanked the community for their support after the loss of their daughter.
“Don’t take a minute with your babies. Tell them you love them. Every minute. Every chance you get,” Kraft said.
A fundraiser from GoFundMe has so far raised more than $ 20,000 of its $ 25,000 to help the family.