Mother and her toddler daughter drown after crash leaves car submerged in river

Yahoo

29-04-2025

A greater Houston area mother and toddler died after the mother suffered a medical emergency, and her SUV was submerged in a river with her children inside.
A Good Samaritan witnessed the incident and was instrumental in saving two children involved, according to reports by local outlets KHOU and KRIV.
The man was in Harris County and reported seeing a 2020 Kia Telluriode submerged in a branch of the San Jacinto River just fater 4:40 p.m. on April 25, said authorities and Major Cedrick Collier of the Harris County Sheriff's Office at a press conference.
The witness also reported seeing two children on top of the SUV. He then dove into the water and saved the children.
Collier said authorities later found out that a mother, 39-year-old Crystal Hall Njepu, and her 1-year-old daughter, Annah, were still in the vehicle. Harris County divers recovered the bodies of the mother and daughter from the water, which is about six or seven feet deep. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
'The car was completely submerged,' Collier said. 'The 1-year-old was still found restrained in a car seat in the back seat, near the rear passenger door.'
According to Collier, from the sheriff's office, Crystal Hall Njepu and the children were in the vehicle traveling westbound on Market Street when the car drifted into the north side of the roadway.
'She actually intentionally pulled off the roadway,' Collier said. 'That's for certain.'
Authorities added that there was a nearby camera in the area that captured the vehicle moving and then stopping repeatedly. Hall Njepu likely suffered a "medical emergency," causing her to drive off the road and onto gravel on the south side of the road.
"The vehicle came to an abrupt stop for approximately 1 minute," the sheriff's office told USA TODAY on April 29. "Moments later the vehicle accelerated forward into the grassy area and into the water. The vehicle began to sink at a rapid rate and was also taken by the current under the bridge."
More news: A firefighter paramedic was fatally stabbed in an ambulance. A patient is being charged.
The man who saved the children, told television station KHOU that he immediately jumped in to help the family once he realized what was happening.
He was on his way home from work that day and had a rope in his truck, he told the station in Spanish. He tied the rope around his waist and had a second man hold onto it while he dove into the water.
He couldn't get the car's doors open but he could hear the children inside yelling for help, he said.
The children, a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old, were in the front passenger seat and the back left passenger seat of the SUV. Another bystander threw him a baseball bat, allowing him to break a rear window and free the children. He added that the oldest child, a 7-year-old, could swim a bit.
"I thank God we were able to save two kids,' he said. 'There's sadness in the heart because two lives were lost and we couldn't get it done."
The children are 'in good condition,' said Collier, from the sheriff's office. Family members will be caring for them.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office's Vehicular Crimes Division is investigating.
Hall Njepu's older brother, Lawrence Hall, said in a statement to USA TODAY on April 29 that they have suffered a 'terrible situation' in losing the mother and daughter.
'Annah was a happy and very smart baby,' Hall said, adding that Annah was able to use sign language at the young age of 1. 'Not because she had disabilities but because she was smart and one of the daycares that she attended had some very innovative and forward thinking staff.'
Her mother was a smart college graduate who had 'exceptional knowledge of business and finance.'
'She is forever my baby sister and she and Annah are greatly missed,' he said.
Loved ones have started a GoFundMe to support memorial services and Njepu's remaining children. As of April 29, they have raised over $12,000 of the fundraiser's $15,000 goal.
His family is trying to understand what happened and why, but the family is relying on their faith, he said. The family also thanked the man who saved two children once the vehicle went into the water.
"There are no words to express how grateful we are that he responded to the call of God … and helped to save our other two babies. We love him and hope to meet him soon.'
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mother, toddler drown after car crashes into San Jacinto River