WICHITA, Kan. — It is a bittersweet week for a Kansas man, whose pregnant wife was killed in a crash on Tuesday. Doctors were able to deliver the couple’s baby, and the child is in critical condition at a Wichita hospital, KAKE reported.
“Words cannot explain or express the emotions going through everyone’s head(s) today,” Brandon Russell wrote in a Facebook post.
His wife, Samantha Russell, 22, was killed when a robbery suspect crashed into her Mazda CX3 while fleeing authorities Tuesday afternoon, KAKE reported. She was in her car at a stoplight at about 5 p.m. CDT when Javan Javan Jermaine Ervin, 37, allegedly drove a white Dodge pickup through the signal, crashing into her vehicle and two others, KAKE reported.
Samantha Russell died at an area hospital at about 7 p.m. CDT, the television station reported, citing a crash log from the Kansas Highway Patrol.
She was 33 weeks pregnant, according to KWCH. The baby was due on Aug. 21, according to the couple’s baby registry.
“Sammy was taken from us but left behind the most beautiful gift of life,” Brandon Russell wrote on Facebook. “Samantha was going to be a fantastic mother.”
The Wichita Police Department said in a news release Wednesday afternoon that the baby was in critical condition.
According to police, officers were attempting to arrest robbery suspects before the collision, including Ervin and Jaime P. Chavez, KSN reported.
Police said the chase was called off before the vehicles crashed.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, Ervin’s northbound pickup hit a westbound Chevy Silverado, causing wheels and tires to detach from the Dodge. The pickup then struck a Jeep Compass that was stopped to turn left and then collided with Samantha Russell’s vehicle, which was behind the Jeep.
Ervin was booked for first-degree murder in commission of a felony, aggravated battery and criminal possession of a firearm, KAKE reported.
According to the Kansas Department of Corrections, Ervin had several robbery convictions, KSN reported. His sentence ended on June 15.
In his Facebook post, Brandon Russell urged people to cherish their family members.
“I want anyone reading this to take a moment to cherish and love those special people around you while they are here that no one could ever replace because they mean so much to you,” he wrote. “You never know what to expect every day. Live every day to your fullest.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to cover Samantha Russell’s funeral expenses.
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