Surviving toddler is healing after Fairbanks crash killed her parents
Two-year-old Paige Hart suffered six broken bones in a head-on collision on the Parks Highway on Oct. 19.
By Michael Bennett ·
Paige Hart, who is now 2 years old, is recovering from six broken bones after surviving a fatal car crash in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Alaska State Troopers say the head-on collision occurred on Oct. 19 on the Parks Highway near Trapper Creek. Sasha Hart, 38, was driving a Subaru Forester southbound when the vehicle crossed the center line. It struck a northbound Ford F-250.
David Hart, 41, was in the Ford. Both he and his wife died in the accident. Their daughter was in the Subaru.
The couple had lived in Fairbanks for a decade. They had just marked their 10-year wedding anniversary before the crash. Family members described the pair as a tight-knit unit who enjoyed traveling and watching hockey.
Shery Elterman-Hart, David Hart’s sister, spoke about the family’s bond. “She just became one of us. We were really close with David before they met, but then when she came, she just sort of lumped right in,” she said.
Katie Ragsdale, another sister of David Hart, said the parents considered their daughter their entire world. “I don’t know if it’s Paige’s house or their house,” Ragsdale said.
The family noted that Paige is healing quickly. She already displays traits of both parents, including her mother’s facial expressions and her father’s sweet tooth.
“You still have a piece of them, a living piece of them still on Earth,” Ragsdale said.
