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Father of girl in hospital loses home to fire
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7-year-old was struck by van last week in Klamath A Loleta home belonging to the father of a girl who was hit by a minivan last Monday in Klamath burned down early Tuesday morning after the father drove down to Oakland to be with his daughter. Shanah James, 7, was visiting her mother in Klamath, when the accident occurred. She was flown to Oakland Children’s Hospital from Sutter Coast Hospital for her injuries. “The last I heard, she was stable,” said Heather Blevins, receptionist for the Wiyot Tribe. “We are doing fundraising to help them find a home.”
The Wiyot Tribe in Loleta, which the girl and her father, Henry James,
are members of, began fundraising for the girl and her family last week.
Michelle Vassel, director of social services for the Wiyot Tribe, said when Henry James got word his daughter was being flown to Oakland “he grabbed a couple pairs of clothes and took off.” When he arrived in Oakland, he got word that his home had burned to the ground while he was on the road, said the Wiyot Tribe. The tribe held a taco sale on Monday to raise funds for the James family. A bank account at Redwood Capital Bank in Eureka under the name of Shanah and Henry James was also opened up. People can donate money into the account under their names, according to the Wiyot Tribe. Shanah James and her family were unavailable for comment on Monday. “Everybody here in the community was heartbroken when they heard about Shanah,” said Vassel. “And everybody knew Henry too.” Vassel has been in contact with Henry James since both tragedies happened and has been getting updates on Shanah James’ health. “She had been a student at Loleta (Elementary) School and we just wanted to help,” she said. She said the Loleta Volunteer Fire department had responded to the trailer, which was fully engulfed when they arrived early Tuesday morning. “The fire department believed that it started in the fireplace,” said Vassel. The James’ trailer home was in the Old Table Bluff Reservation in Loleta. “The first thing people heard was the propane tank blowing up,” said Vassel. “Henry had just filled it up,” she said. The explosion prompted neighbors to call 911. “The home burnt literally to the ground. All that was left was cans from the kitchen and springs from the bed,” said Vassel. CHP reports stated Shanah James suffered major injuries after being struck in the head with the right-side mirror of a Dodge Caravan, driven by Vicky Lynn Bates, 48, of Klamath. The report stated Shanah James was waiting with her mother and three of her siblings to cross U.S. Highway 169 in Klamath when her mother saw a friend in an SUV and yelled to her friend to get a ride. Shanah James misunderstood and thought her mother was telling her to cross the street, stated the CHP. She then walked into the path of the van. CHP said Bates braked at 35 mph and swerved left, but the mirror collided with Shanah James’ head. |
