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By: IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News
(NEW YORK) — A Georgia family is home and counting their blessings after they all survived a car accident just minutes after their newest member was born in the back seat.
Chrys Yvette Jones of Tucker, Georgia, told ABC News it was a miracle that her 23-year-old daughter Crysten D’ve Graham, 14-month-old granddaughter, Tai Anderson, and newborn granddaughter Cea Tiyanna Anderson all made it out of the April 13 accident with minor injuries. Jones said she and her daughter were eternally grateful for the three officers who came to their aid and quickly found Cea in the back seat of the wrecked car, just minutes after Graham delivered her.
“They were angels,” Jones told ABC News. “We didn’t get to call 911. Somehow, they were just there and moved so fast. They have a special place in our hearts.”
Graham, who was going to be induced on April 19, started feeling pains and called her mother for help. The same night, Georgia and other southern states were hit with heavy storms and tornadoes.
Jones drove while Graham and Tai, who had no one to watch her, sat in the back seat. The family was only able to make it one mile into their 12-mile trip to Northside Hospital Gwinnett before Graham had to deliver the baby in the SUV.
“My daughter was saying ‘I think it’s coming,'” Jones said. “She remembered her breathing techniques, because she had her other baby last year and she was able to do it herself.”
Minutes later, Jones said that she hydroplaned and lost control of her SUV. The vehicle hit a power pole, spun and then struck a brick fence, according to the police report.
Jones said her daughter got herself and Tai out of the car, and all three only had minor injuries. The family had a bit of a panic because they couldn’t find the baby at first.
“We started to look for the baby and then all of a sudden the police were there,” she recalled.
Lilburn Police Department officers Daniel Bride and Cepeda Huf scrambled to find Cea and looked all over the wreckage, a spokesman for the department said. They quickly found the baby behind the back seat relatively unharmed, police said.
“She just had a little scratch on her nose but that cleared up,” Jones said.
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The family was taken to the hospital and Jones and Tai were released shortly. Graham and her newborn were released from the hospital on Wednesday.
Due to coronavirus concerns, Jones said the family hasn’t seen any visitors in person, but they have been receiving grateful messages from friends and family from across the country. The people who deserve the most thanks are the officers, according to Jones.
“When I went to the impound and saw the car, it made no sense that we were all able to make it,” she said. “Those officers really went above and beyond. We just can’t wait to thank and bless them in person.”
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