A Spelman College student’s death could’ve been prevented if doctors hadn’t refused her treatment at a Liberia hospital, her mother told Channel 2 Action News.
Princess Yates was denied care because she didn’t have any money, Orthea Yates told the news station.
“If I gave you money now, can you give her life back?” Orthea Yates told Channel 2. “Can't you just save the life and we talk about money later. Give her a chance to fight; she was not given the opportunity to fight.”
Few details were released about Yates’ crash, which occurred July 21 in Monrovia, Liberia. School officials said Yates was a member of the class of 2019 and was an environmental science and dual degree engineering major.
Orthea Yates said her daughter was in Africa celebrating her grandmother’s 90th birthday before she was killed in the fatal wreck. Yates, originally from Staten Island, New York, was an active member of the city’s NAACP Youth Council.
“Princess was not only an asset to our council, but one of the sweetest, funniest individuals we have ever had the pleasure to work with,” the organization said in a statement. “... We love and miss her. We ask you to pray for her family during this time.”
A GoFundMe page set up in Yates' honor has raised $4,000.
Princess Yates was the second Spelman College student to die in a car crash in less than a week. Rising senior Erica Lanier was killed in a suspected DUI crash involving fellow student Alexis Sims, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
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