Millingport girls involved in serious car accident; funds being raised to help families

Published 2:18 pm Monday, March 27, 2023

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Kaidyn Parks and her cousin Elise Lowrance are recovering at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte after sustaining serious injuries in a Friday night car accident.

The Stanly News & Press has contacted N.C. Highway Patrol for an official report of the accident.

According to their aunt Erica Tyson, Parks’ 16-year-old sister Kaylee was turning right onto N.C. Highway 73 from Nelson Mountain Road with the intention of then turning left onto Cane Drive when another vehicle T-boned the car.

Kaidyn, 13, who was in the front passenger seat, sustained major fractures and some internal injuries, Tyson said. She is currently in stable condition.

Elise, 7, who was in the back seat on the driver’s side, sustained critical injuries to her spinal column. Tyson said she is “expected to survive but we don’t know what her prognosis is at this time.”

Kaylee sustained no major injuries apart from soreness and a few bruises, Tyson said.

Tyson said Kaylee had dropped off her daughter Kynslee at home about a minute before the accident occurred.

Tyson set up GoFundMe pages for Kaylee and Elise on Saturday. As of early Monday afternoon, $3,705 has been raised for Kaidyn and $2,405 has been raised for Elise. 

“We are very grateful for all of the prayers first and foremost, but also the donations that have been made and the outpouring support from our church family, friends, friends of friends, churches within our community and even churches in other states,” Tyson said. “We have a lot of prayers going up for these girls and we are trusting in God to heal them both.”

Tyson added that all three girls, who live in the Millingport area, are “good Christian young ladies who have such a strong desire to live for and serve the Lord.”

With Kaidyn and Lowrance being involved with the Albemarle Academy of Dance, AAD posted on Facebook about the crash, including links to the GoFundMe pages.

“We know that our dance community is incredibly supportive and caring, and we are hopeful that we can come together to support these two dancers, and their families during this difficult time,” AAD wrote.

About Chris Miller

Chris Miller has been with the SNAP since January 2019. He is a graduate of NC State and received his Master's in Journalism from the University of Maryland. He previously wrote for the Capital News Service in Annapolis, where many of his stories on immigration and culture were published in national papers via the AP wire.

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