Nearly a month ago, icy roads led to a tragic car crash, and now the family involved are struggling with both the financial burden and heartbreak of losing one of their own.
Mandale Spotted Horse was loved by many, but on November 10th, at the age of 41 his life ended in a tragic car crash involving him, his son Devin, and his granddaughter.
“They told me he was gone, and pretty much essentially all I remember after that, is that I woke up in a hospital after that,” Spotted Horse said. “Seeing my dad slumped over, and trying to wake him up was hard.”
The vehicle hit a truck head on, and Devin's two-year-old daughter flew from the back seat slamming into the windshield knocking her unconscious. Fortunately, she was able to survive.
“They tried to do CPR and what not, but that didn’t work," Spotted Horse said. "They got frantic. I don’t want to say the CPR didn’t work, I don’t want to say none of that, but after I said a quick prayer for her, that’s when she got her breath back."
The loss of Mandale was tragic, but the family is thankful that all three lives weren't lost that day. Mandale's brother David Blaine said he's been trying to remind Devin that his father would be happy that him and his daughter are still alive.
“I had to explain to him, that if anything, this is probably what his dad would’ve wanted because my brother was this hero all my life," Blaine said.
Blaine has taken it upon himself to try and help the family by setting up a gofundme in attempt to ease some of the financial burden.
“I just took it upon myself to step in as the dad, and I think any other brother would do that,” Blaine said.
It's a family lost in a tragic time — doing their best to honor the memory of Mandale and the life he lived.
“He meant the world to me," Blaine said. "He was a hero, and man he was the go-to. Very loving man."
For his son, he's thankful to have had a father that helped mold the man he is today.
“He led by example," Spotted Horse said. "Everything he did and how he was as a person rubbed off on how me and my siblings are. If he hadn’t led by example like that, I don’t think I’d be the father I am without him."
