Trooper highlights bravery of girls who survived Whidbey Island crash

Four-year-old twin sisters survived a crash on Whidbey Island that killed their father.

Investigators say 47-year-old Corey Simmons of Langley, Washington was on Bob Galbreath Road when it happened around 6 p.m. Friday. The car flew off the road, 200 feet down an embankment, and slammed into multiple trees before stopping.

The twins saw that their dad was hurt badly. They managed to get out of their booster seats and crawl through a broken window in the back of the car. Through the dark, dense forest they climbed up the steep embankment to look for help. Family members say the girls climbed about 200 feet (61 meters) up to the road after the accident 34 miles (55 kilometers) north of Seattle.

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A good Samaritan saw them on the side of the road and stopped. She called 911 and kept the twins warm in her car until police arrived.

Trooper Heather Axtman says the girls were rushed to the hospital with minor injuries. Their father died at the scene.

“This was an extremely tragic situation, and out of this extreme tragedy I just want to highlight the bravery that these little girls showed,” she said. “Most little kids are scared of the dark and they’re scared of the woods, and for this particular crash they went into a very wooded area, very thick underbrush, and part of their walk back to the road was 200 feet of very steep embankment. You’re going to have grown man describe it as a steep embankment, multiply that for a four year-old.”

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Both twins were strapped into booster seats, which investigators say may have saved their lives. Their father was not wearing a seat belt. There were no obvious signs of impairment and it’s unclear what might have caused the crash.

A Go Fund Me page has been set up by the family to help with unexpected funeral expenses here.

AP reporting contributed to this story.