Heartbroken father to sell Sweet 16 Jeep gift to pay for daughter's funeral after she died in fiery car wreck
View
comments
The father of a girl who was killed in a fiery car rollover in Pennsylvania last week - just days away from her 16th birthday - said he will have to sell his daughter’s brand-new car to pay for her funeral expenses.
Alexis McKinney died in a crash on Thompsontown Road in the town of Clay on Wednesday night.
‘All my hopes and dreams were in her,’ her father, David McKinney, told WPXI. ‘I just wanted her to go to college.’
Short life: Alexis McKinney was just a week away from her 16ht birthday when she was killed in a fiery crash
According to police, the 15-year-old Knoch High School student was killed when the driver, Bryant Butler, 17, lost control of a Chevy Blazer he was driving while making a turn.
Investigators said the two teenagers weren't wearing seat belts at the time, and drugs, alcohol and speed may have played a role in the fatal accident.
RELATED ARTICLES
'She was half-asleep or very intoxicated': Truck driver in Kerry Kennedy hit-and-run crash says she is lucky... 
Knicks' newest star Jason Kidd claims he didn't know he had been in drunken driving crash... as his...
Share this article
ShareMr McKinney said he bought a Jeep for his daughter’s upcoming 16th birthday, but now he is being forced to sell Alexis’ last present so that he could afford her funeral expenses.
‘I would never in my wildest dreams ever believe that I would be doing this,’ McKinney said.
According to investigators, McKinney and Butler were returning from a party at around 11:10pm on Wednesday night when the 17-year-old driver over-corrected in the steering while navigating a turn, which caused the SUV to flip over three times.
Wreckage: The Chevy Blazer flipped over three times on Thompsontown Road and then burst into flames
Tragic ride: McKinney, right, and Bryant Butler, left, were returning from a party when the 17-year-old boy lost control of his SUV while making a turn
Both teenagers were ejected from the wreckage and the vehicle burst into flames, the station KDKA reported.
Neighbor Don Dingle said he rushed to the scene of the crash and dragged Bryant away from the burning SUV, fearing that it would explode.
A woman driving by stopped to help and performed CPR on McKinney, who died at the scene at around 11:30pm.
Butler was airlifted to Allegheny General Hospital, where he is listed in critical condition after suffering severe head injuries. Police said the 17-year-old may have violated his junior driver’s license because he was operating a vehicle past 11pm.
Last chat: McKinney, left, spoke to her friend Taylor Dolniak, right, shortly before the crash, discussing her Sweet 16 plans
So far, the teen has not been charged in the crash.
One of McKinney’s close friends, Taylor Dolniak, said the two spoke shortly before the crash, discussing the 15-year-old’s upcoming birthday bash.
‘I’m going to miss telling her my stories because now who am I going to get advice from?’ Dolniak told WPXI.
McKinney’s heartbroken dad said since his daughter’s tragic death, he has been sleeping in her room just so that he could feel close to her.
‘The night that she passed, it was like I passed with her,’ McKinney said. ‘My life will never be the same without Alexis.’
A family friend kindly donated a plot of land where the girl could be laid to rest, but Mr McKinney still needs money to pay the other expenses.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3IpbCmmZmhe6S7ja6iaKaVrMBwrdGtoJyklWJ%2FcoOTcG9tZ3Ghsrm10maEnIOZo7umxdJmn56Zoqmvs7vKnqVmnpGptaa%2BjKycpaRdiMSmsdNmaG9lepqysXnGop2tZaCWxm6y1Kecq5mcY7W1ucs%3D