The five-year-old daughter of the couple who tragically passed after a collision in Western Australia saved her one-year-old brother's life through one simple act.
On Christmas Day, Cindy Braddock, 25, and Jake Day, 28, died after their Land Rover Discovery staggered off Corrigin-Kondinin Road, in Wheatbelt.
The tragedy left the parents' kids - all under the age of five - trapped in the wrecked vehicle for two days in the scorching heat beside their mom and dad's lifeless bodies.
Despite the desperate search efforts, the family was not found until 55 hours later, when close friends of the couple discovered the stranded car with the children inside.
On Wednesday (December 28), the children were at Perth Children’s Hospital in stable condition. Speaking to ABC, Day's cousin, Michael Read, told the outlet of the kids' grueling ordeal.
He said that without the girl's efforts, the infant would not have survived, explaining: "What I've gathered is the five-year-old became unstuck in the vehicle, and she then got the one-year-old out of the car seat, then they were stuck in the car for the 55 hours in 30-degree heat."
"It would have been hard for the three children to be in the car for that whole time. Nobody knows what they went through," he continued.
"And if it wasn't for the five-year-old undoing the buckle of the one-year-old's car seat, he wouldn't be with us today," he said, adding that the children are "doing fine" and should be released from the hospital within the next couple of days.
The deceased dad's stepfather, Richard Parker, also applauded the brave five-year-old's actions to The West and said: "She's a legend, she always has been... she's a strong little girl."
He also revealed that he had also been out searching for the family and was about 10km from the brutal collision scene when the kids were found alive.
"I appreciate the people who were out there helping us look for them. We'll get through it, we've just got to plod along," he told the outlet.
Day's cousin also shared with ABC that the children were "being loved by family, nurses, and doctors" since arriving at the hospital and that the extended family is now taking small steps in deciding what is next for the orphans.
"It is hard, having three kids now growing up with nobody. Apart from other family members." Read said. "We're going bit by bit at the moment."
According to News.com.au, the family was reported missing on Christmas Day when they didn't show up to a family celebration. They had last been seen leaving Northam, a town in Wheatbelt about 100km east of Perth, at 1:00AM on Sunday morning.
They were making the 200km journey home to Kondinin to spend what was left of Christmas with Day's mother before the tragic crash happened only 10km from their property.
A GoFundMe page has now been created to raise money for the couple's funeral, their children's medical bills, and living expenses. The fundraiser has already raised AUD $27,600 of the $50,000 goal.
Our thoughts go out to the children, and other family and friends of this couple.
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