The parents suffered severe injuries while their two young daughters Bella and Lily have multiple bone fractures and internal injuries.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville family of four is recovering from serious injuries after an accident off I-95. Family says they crashed deep into the woods late Saturday, leaving the two parents hospitalized and their young daughters with multiple broken bones.
Denise Rodriguez, the children’s grandmother, rushed from her Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, home after a 2 a.m. phone call Sunday from her son, 35-year-old Cody Mineur.
“He said, ‘Mom, something really bad has happened,’ and of course my heart dropped,” Rodriguez said.
Mineur, his wife Rosaline “Rosie” Mineur and their daughters, 5-year-old Bella and 2-year-old Lily, had left a family member’s 90th birthday party in St. Augustine just hours earlier. Neither parent remembers the crash, Rodriguez said.
“All we know is that they left the highway and ended up in the woods.”
The accident was so hidden from the road that good Samaritans first spotted Rosie Mineur lying on the shoulder, where she had crawled to flag down help. They then heard the girls crying, pulled them from the mangled car and stayed 30 to 45 minutes, keeping them calm until emergency crews arrived for the parents.
“You’re angels on Earth,” Rodriguez said. “Angels on Earth.”
All four survived what Rodriguez called “an absolute miracle.” A tow truck driver told the family he’d never seen a vehicle so damaged with anyone walking away alive.
Bella and Lily are now at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. Bella wears a body brace with both arms immobilized from shoulder fractures; Lily has a broken leg and fractured collarbone.
“They’re troopers, and they’ve both been smiling on and off since it happened,” Rodriguez said.
Rosie Mineur had her right leg amputated below the knee after doctors couldn’t save her foot.
“She’s my hero… a mama bear determined to recover and get back to taking care of her babies,” Rodriguez said.
Cody Mineur underwent wrist surgery Monday and faces more operations to rebuild his shattered foot, followed by weeks of physical therapy.
The couple, who both work as servers at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville, face an uncertain return to jobs that require them to be on their feet; Rosie is learning to use a prosthetic and Cody is relearning how to walk.
Family has stepped up from New Jersey to St. Augustine to care for the girls, who may be discharged before their parents.
A GoFundMe started by Rodriguez’s sister, Danielle, met its initial goal within hours with an outpouring of donations from strangers.
“The whole family is so very grateful at this outpouring of generosity and love,” Rodriguez said.
Details regarding the cause of the crash and the crash report from the Florida Highway Patrol were not immediately available.