2-Year-Old Survives Alaska Crash That Killed Her Parents

Paige Hart, age 2, survived a head-on collision on the Parks Highway that killed her parents. The crash occurred on Oct. 19 near Trapper Creek, Alaska. Alaska State Troopers reported that Sasha Hart, 38, was driving a Subaru Forester southbound when the vehicle crossed the center line. It collided with a northbound Ford F-250. David Hart, 41, and Sasha Hart died in the accident. Paige was the only other person in the Subaru.

The couple had lived in Fairbanks for a decade. The family said the pair celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary recently. They blended Sasha Hart’s Jamaican background with David Hart’s Alaskan upbringing. Shery Elterman-Hart, David Hart’s sister, described the couple’s dynamic during an interview. She noted that the family was close with David before he met Sasha. “She just became one of us. We were really close with David before they met, but then when she came, she just sort of lumped right in,” Elterman-Hart said.

The couple enjoyed traveling and watching hockey together. They also shared an interest in food. Katie Ragsdale, another sister of David Hart, emphasized the central role their daughter played in their lives. “She was their entire world,” Ragsdale said. “I don’t know if it’s Paige’s house or their house.”

Paige sustained six broken bones in the crash. The family reports that she is healing quickly. Elterman-Hart held Paige during the interview and praised her recovery. “She’s a miracle. Aren’t you?” she asked the child. Ragsdale noted that Paige retains specific traits of her parents, including her mother’s facial expressions and her father’s preference for sweets. “You still have a piece of them, a living piece of them still on Earth,” Ragsdale said.

The family is continuing to support Paige’s recovery. Troopers have completed their initial investigation into the cause of the crash. The family has not announced further plans for public gatherings or fundraising efforts at this time.