Indy mom calls it miracle that 4 sons, family friend lived through crash
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Four brothers and a close friend are in the hospital following a crash that happened Wednesday. Their mother, Andrea Wynn-Porter, said the group was celebrating her son’s 16th birthday.
Her two oldest sons and their friend planned to take the younger boys to Dave & Busters and Skyzone. On the way, she said the unimaginable happened.
They were stopped at the intersection of West Washington Street and Bailey Drive, when their car was rear-ended, pushed into the intersection, hit by three cars and finally a semi.
The brothers — Jermaine, Josiah, Jeremiah and Jonathan — and their friend Darren, who Wynn-Porter considers part of the family, range in age from 15 to 20 years old.
Because of the different ages, the boys were taken to different hospitals. Wynn-Porter said that made the day extremely hectic.
“It was hard for them to tell me who was where, because you know the underage kids went to one hospital, and Jeremiah and Darren went to another one and my oldest son a different one, everything was just so confusing,” she said.
Amy Berns, principal at Edison School of the Arts, said the school’s motto is once a cool cat, always a cool cat and 15-year-old Jermaine is no exception.
“There’s some kids that just leave a bigger impact and he’s definitely one of those. When Jermaine would walk in the building, his smile would light up the room,” said Berns.
She immediately reached out to other staff who know the family and created a GoFundMe page.
“We all know how much it is for even just one person to be in the hospital let alone four of your own children,” said Berns.
Wynn-Porter said the support is unexpected and overwhelming.
“I wish I had the words to express how I felt, but my heart could explode for how grateful I am for everyone that is reaching out even just to say they praying for them,” she said.
As she braces for the long road to recovery for her each of her boys, she reflects on what could have been, especially knowing at least one of her kids was not in a seat belt at the time of the crash.
“Not just for kids, for parents, any driver: Please put your seat belt on, they do save lives, they do save lives. Slow down, it’s winter time, slow down.”
Wynn-Porter said the boys who had to have surgeries are doing well and the others should be able to return home this week.