With Hurricane Irma threatening Florida last week, Kaitlin Marie Hunt and her 3-month-old daughter left their home to stay with relatives in Georgia.
But within hours of arriving at her parents’ home, a split-second tragedy changed everything.
Hunt, 28, was holding baby Riley as she and other family members and friends attempted to cross a Woodstock road shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday. That’s when Hunt, Riley and family friend Kathy Deming were struck by an SUV on Arnold Mill Road.
Riley died Saturday night following the crash. On Wednesday, the family confirmed that Kaitlin Hunt was removed from life support Tuesday night. She was an organ donor, her family said.
“Out of such sorrow comes a glimmer of hope that Kaitlin’s death will mean new life for others,” the family statement read. “We are sad beyond belief, yet grateful for the support we’ve received from the Woodstock police, city officials, and our community.”
Kaitlin Hunt, a Marietta native, met her husband, Brandon, when the two attended Sprayberry High School. After high school, she attended Valdosta State University before enlisting in the U.S. Coast Guard in 2013, her family said. Kaitlin and Brandon Hunt were married in March 2016 and lived in Port St. Lucie, Fla., where she was stationed.
Deming, 61, of Marietta, was critically injured and remained in the hospital Wednesday, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. No charges have been filed in the crash, which remains under investigation.
Funeral arrangements were pending Wednesday. An online GoFundMe page was created to assist the family.
“We continue to pray for our friend Kathy Deming, who was also seriously injured in the Sept. 9 accident,” the Hunt family said.
In addition to her husband, Kaitlin Hunt is survived by her mother, Kathleen Vandiver of Marietta, father Gregg Vandiver of Woodstock, stepfather David Lickman of Woodstock, mother-in-law Mary White and father-in-law Chuck White of Pensacola, FL. She is also survived by three sisters: Lauren Michelle Vandiver of Baton Rouge, LA, Nicole Lickman of Woodstock, and Kelsey Lickman of Woodstock, and numerous other relatives.
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