Though the girl's pelvis was crushed and she has a long road to recovery ahead, her father is grateful his daughter is alive.
On May 29, 2022, Tesfaye Ailbe had a very bad feeling when his daughter left for an event to celebrate Memorial Day weekend. His gut feeling wasn't wrong, as after a few hours he received a call about a collision in Lincon that claimed the lives of two people and injured 20 others.
The person making the call informed him that they had pulled his daughter from underneath a car and that she was "in bad shape." Immediately, Ailbe made his way to the accident site to look for his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah Wadiso. But when he got there, his world came crashing down, after a police officer informed him that his daughter had died, Alibe told KETV.
After the initial collision, "both vehicles left the roadway" and struck "multiple bystanders who had gathered" to watch a car show over the Memorial Day weekend, police said in a press release.
Dad Learns Daughter Is Alive After Police Said She Died in Neb. Crash: 'God Is Good' https://t.co/yspWL5fwrn
— People (@people) June 9, 2022
"On the road, we cried, fell down on our knees, [and] prayed," he said. However, two hours later, he got another phone call, saying that she was alive and in "critical condition" at a local hospital. Hannah had just graduated high school and was among those who were injured in the crash.
In a statement released by Lincoln Police Chief Teresa Ewins, authorities acknowledged that "a devastating miscommunication with a family member at the scene" had taken place.
"The family member, Tesfaye Alibe, was called to the scene by a bystander who told him his daughter, Hannah, was hit by a vehicle. When Mr. Alibe arrived, he ran to one of the cars involved in the crash, pointed to one of the deceased, and told the officers it was his daughter. The officers, who had just been performing life-saving measures, confirmed she had not survived," police said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
"Mr. Alibe stayed on scene with officers and as additional information was gathered on his daughter it was determined she was not one of the young women killed in the vehicle. Hannah was one of the bystanders injured in the crash and had been taken to the hospital where she was in critical condition with life-threatening injuries," the statement continued.
"We recognize the grief this tragic misunderstanding caused for all involved. We continue to work with Mr. Alibe and have acknowledged our sincere regret. We are grateful to report Hannah's condition is improving and hope for the continued improvement of the 19 additional victims."
18-year-old Hannah Wadiso was one of two people pinned underneath a Ford Taurus that careened into a crowd of people after the Memorial Weekend crash on O Street. She's still in critical condition. https://t.co/I5DtARywA7
— 1011 NOW (@1011_News) June 10, 2022
Though Hannah's pelvis was crushed and she has a long road to recovery ahead, her father is grateful his daughter is alive. "God is good," he shared.
"The other two didn't get this chance," he shared referring to the deaths of Emily Siebenhor, 20, and Edith Hermosillo, 22, who were both pronounced dead at the scene after their vehicle was struck.
The deadly crash occurred just before 11 pm, when a Ford Taurus, which was "traveling close to 90 mph" struck a Toyota Corolla, which was carrying Siebenhor and Hermosillo.
Police claim that the 18-year-old driver of the Ford Taurus, who turned himself in, was under the influence of marijuana. The driver was arrested and charged with two counts of manslaughter and two counts of driving under the influence with serious bodily injury, according to police.
A GoFundMe in Hannah's name says that she is currently "hospitalized with at least 10 weeks of rehabilitation planned."
References:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/hannah-wadiso-medical-bills-and-family-support
Cover Image Source: GoFundMe
