Natalia Anggraeni of Kennesaw knows her two youngest children were killed in a crash. But her own injuries make it difficult to comprehend friends say.
“She’s in and out of consciousness,” Emily Thoreson, a family friend, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “She keeps asking for her babies, but she knows they aren’t here.”
Thoreson knows the Cobb County family because both she and Anggraeni have children with special needs. Saturday afternoon, Thoreson got a phone call from Anggraeni with devastating news. The family had been in a crash on I-85 in Anderson County, S.C., while headed to a Wofford College summer camp.
“We dropped everything and we just drove there,” Thoreson said. “All she could tell us was that Nate and Kiki had passed away.”
Credit: Go Fund Me
Credit: Go Fund Me
Investigators say 17-year-old Jessica Wolwark was driving a Chevrolet northbound on I-85 when for unknown reasons she ran off the highway and the SUV overturned at 5:45 a.m. Saturday morning.
Wolwark’s younger sister and brother died from their injuries after being ejected, police said. Kirana “Kiki” Wolwark, 15, and Nate Wolwark, 12, were both killed. Wolwark and her mother, Anggraeni, were wearing seat belts but were seriously injured in the crash.
Numerous drivers stopped at the scene of the accident to help the family, including Sarah Eagle, an East Carolina University nursing student. Eagle told Channel 2 Action News she waited with Kiki until paramedics arrived. The teenager later died at the hospital.
Jessica and her mother were both taken by helicopter to a Greenville hospital, where both remained Tuesday. Anggraeni has a broken neck and several broken ribs and her daughter has torn ligaments in her arm, but is expected to be released from the hospital this week.
Anggraeni’s oldest child, Nick, 20, was not with the family at the time of the crash. He stayed at the family’s Kennesaw home to help care for his siblings’ pets, including six chicks that Kiki had recently persuaded her mom to buy, Thoreson said.
“Kiki was a super-friendly animal lover,”Thoreson said. “She was the artist. She would draw anime and they were so in-depth.”
And Nate, despite his young age, was mature beyond his years and very polite, Thoreson said. His gentle nature helped him communicate with his older brother, who has autism, and others with special needs, Thoreson said.
“Nate was wonderful. He’s one of the boys from back in the day. ‘Yes ma’am. No ma’am,’” she said. “He was so friendly. He was such a good, giving child.”
Kirana attended Harrison High School, where she recently completed 9th grade, and Nate attended Palmer Middle School, according to the Cobb County school system. He recently finished 6th grade.
Thoreson's daughter has created a Go Fund Me page to assist the family, who she says does not have medical insurance. Anggraeni, who works as a special needs paraprofessional for the Cobb school system, will also need a new vehicle for the family.
“I’m asking everybody they know, if anybody can donate a car, so she doesn’t have to worry about it so she’ll be able to return to work,” Thoreson said.
The Sweet Hut Bakery and Cafe near Kennesaw, where the Wolwark sisters worked, is planning to donate all of its proceeds this Saturday to the family. The bakery is located at 2795 Chastain Meadow Parkway.
The crash remains under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol, a spokesman said Tuesday.
Funeral arrangements for the siblings have not yet been finalized, but a funeral home in Greenville is assisting with the cost, Thoreson said. The family is hopeful Anggraeni will be released from the hospital in time to attend.
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