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“My two babies were on that bus.”
Natalie and Ashely Betts are two Farmingdale High School students who were on the charter bus that crashed in Orange County on Thursday, Sept. 21, according to a GoFundMe launched by the girls’ aunt and a Facebook post by their father.
The sisters, like the 40-odd other people on the bus, were on their way to Pennsylvania for band camp when the bus went through the barrier on I-84 and tumbled down a 50-foot ravine, killing Gina Pelletierre, the band director, and Beatrice Ferrari, a beloved chaperone nicknamed “Band Grandma.”
According to their father, Rob Betts, Ashley was one of five students taken from the scene in critical condition.
She suffered a broken jaw, clavicle, shoulder, arm, and several small fractures in her spine and neck.
The girl, a freshman in high school, also has fractures in her sternum and ribs, a partially collapsed lung, a concussion, and an injury to a neck artery that requires checks every hour, as it flows blood to the brain.
“Ashley has a long road to recovery ahead of her,” wrote Jennifer Rubino in the GoFundMe description.
Natalie, who is a senior at the high school, also suffered a concussion and needed more than a dozen stitches for a cut on her forehead. The soft tissue in her neck and lower back were also injured, and she has an extensive amount of bruising, Rubino said.
Though she fared better physically in the crash than her younger sister, her father and aunt say she also has a long road ahead of her, as the crash gave her PTSD.
“Natalie is a true hero,” her father wrote on Facebook.
“She found her sister and screamed for help to get her out from under the bus. She’s been so strong. And also suffering.”
According to the fundraiser description, Natalie was discharged from the hospital on Monday, Sept. 25, while her sister Ashley remains.
Related story: 'Where Words Fail, Music Speaks': Community Shows Support For Victims Of Farmingdale Bus Crash'
Rubino launched the GoFundMe campaign in hopes of easing the financial strain caused by medical treatments, therapy, food, and more in the wake of the crash.
In just one day after launching, the community has already provided over $32,000 towards the sisters, over half of the $50,000 goal set by their aunt.
In an update to family and friends, Rob Betts wrote, “Please say your prayers for [Natalie and Ashley] and all the kids involved. So horrible and tragic.”
“I can’t even begin to describe what we are all going through,” he wrote. “Words can’t even begin to explain this all.”
To see the GoFundMe, click here.
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