A 16-year-old girl who died in a sleigh accident in New York State has died, protecting her 3-year-old cousin in the tragic accident.
Renee Hill, a sophomore at Niagara Wheatfield High School, and her cousin were driving up a hill in a sleigh tube at Clyde L. Burmaster Park in Lewiston when they hit a tree around 10 a.m. Saturday.
They were transported by ambulance to Oishei Children’s Hospital, where Renee was pronounced dead, reports WIVB. The boy was treated and released.
Renee’s grieving mother, Alexis Kraft, described how the tragedy unfolded – and how her daughter’s first instinct was to save her cousin.
She went down the hill. She had my 3-year-old nephew with her. She sees the tree coming. Her first instinct was to put her foot down and turn the sled around so my nephew would not get hurt. She hits the tree. Her heart stopped on the way to the hospital, “Kraft told WKBW.
“Everyone calls her a hero. But it was my baby, “she added. “She was our whole world.”
Renee, described as a ‘mommy bear’, was the eldest of four children.
“She was definitely a mommy bear. “She was able to get them in line quickly, but she loved her all,” her mother said.
“Everyone loved her,” the girl’s father, Richard Hill, told WKBW.
Renee Leadership coach Joe Kiszka said the teenager was a strong, quiet leader who was feared on the field but was an absolute lover.
“All the parents and all the other girls in the team call her the animal, because once she gets on the field, she will just go hard,” her mother added.
Renee’s parents thanked the community for their support following the loss of her daughter.
‘Do not take one minute for granted with your babies. Tell them you like them. Every minute. Every chance you get, ”said Kraft.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has so far raised more than $ 20,000 of its $ 25,000 goal to help the family.