TACOMA, Wash. - A devastating car crash killed a mother and daughter and left a husband and son with more than scrapes and bruises as they now recover from the impact.
Sept. 3 drastically changed Michael Kubisky’s life.
“It was an everyday kind of Sunday,” Kubisky recalled.
A cane now helps hold him up; he has fractured ribs but emotionally, he’s broken.
“Heather, Lilly I love you guys so much,” Kubisky said. He never wants to forget them.
The 41-year-old has 21 years of cherished moments etched into his memory with the love of his life Heather. The two married two years after high school and had two children.
“I know that my wife loved me so much,” Kubisky said.
The father has countless memories as he watched his daughter Lilly become a young woman. She was only 13 years old before she was taken too soon.
“She was my little girl and I loved doing things with her,” Kubisky said as he recalled their father-daughter outings to Mariner games, bowling, and just about anything else.
The loving husband and father, now a widow and a single father to his son 17-year-old son Jayden.
The family of four was heading home from Sunday service. Jayden was behind the wheel. They drove down I-5 in Tacoma and took their usual exit home when their car suddenly stopped in the middle of the lane.
“We just automatically ran out of gas,” Kubisky said.
His first instinct was to push the vehicle out of the way, but he says his wife pleaded for him to get back in.
“I listen to her, I put my seatbelt on, and all I remember is a black tunnel going into a white light and I guess I’m waking up in the ICU,” Kubisky said.
They were unable to move the car out of the way but had their hazards on. Still, they were rear-ended. He shared these images of their mangled car. Washington State Patrol reports show the car that hit them was driving at 70 miles per hour.
His wife died on impact. His daughter was on life support.
“That was just heartbreaking,” Kubisky said. He says he was able to hold Lilly one last time and say his goodbyes. “‘Lilly you’re going to be home with Jesus now,’ and they took me away, and I believe she passed right after that,” Kubisky said.
His son only suffered scrapes and bruises but emotionally he’s still coping with their loss.
I can’t believe I’m here to survive that,” Kubisky said. After all this loss, there’s one person he’s especially thankful for. “I’m praying for you and your family,” Kubisky read from a heartfelt card gifted to him by a Good Samaritan. A nurse by the name of Alexis Getty. She was driving by at the right place at the right time and stopped to pull him and his family out of the car.
“Thank you so much for helping save my family,” Kubisky said. He’d like to meet her and thank her in person for what he did for his family.
Loved ones have started a fundraiser to help cover medical costs. Kubisky underwent heart surgery the day after the accident, head injuries and has a spine fracture.
He’s thankful for the support he’s received by the community including local singer and songwriter Brandi Carlile who is helping lay Heather and Lilly to rest. A funeral service and celebration of life are scheduled for October 6 and 7th.