Kiwi mum dies a ‘hero’ in river torrent
The woman whose car plunged into a flooded Australian river was a hero who died trying to save her children, police say
New Zealand woman Stephanie King, 43, was driving with her three children – Ella Jane, 11, Chloe May, 8, and Jacob, 7 – when their vehicle veered off the road and slid into the Tweed River in New South Wales just after 1.40pm (local time) on Monday.
Three bodies were recovered from the car just yesterday. A police spokesman said: ‘‘I have no doubt that woman is a hero and she’d be alive today if she wasn’t trying to save her children.’’
Police divers had risked their lives during their efforts to recover the bodies, he said.
When the car plunged into the river, Chloe May was able to escape and ran to a nearby farm screaming for help.
After a frantic two-hour search, people on boats using sonar equipment found the car about five metres from the northern bank of the river.
It’s understood King, Ella Jane and Jacob were in the car. The search for the trio was called off on Monday evening.
King’s mother, Heather May King, who lives in Auckland, was trying to find a flight to Australia yesterday.
‘‘I’ve lost two grandchildren as well, and my daughter. All we know is that they have the car and there are three bodies inside, we don’t know it officially yet.’’
The news had hit King’s family hard as they struggled to cope with the tragedy. Her father had passed away only a week ago.
The family is reportedly from nearby Bilambil. King’s partner, Matt Kabealo, is a chef at the Kingscliff Bowling Club.
A Gofundme fundraising page for the family has been set up by the Club Managers’ Association of Australia.
‘‘The funds raised through your kind donations will help Matt cope financially and emotionally with this devastating event in the short term and help him and his surviving daughter rebuild their lives,’’ the page said.
– Fairfax, AAP