HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) – A Florida mother is speaking out about the terrifying moments when she and her five children were trapped inside their SUV after they were involved in a rollover wreck.
Mindy Bosshart said she is grateful to be sharing her story after she and her children survived the crash that took place Tuesday afternoon, an ordeal that she hopes to never experience again.
The minivan had overturned after the crash and landed on an incline, on its side, with her children still stuck inside.
“I could be sitting here without my kids,” said Bosshart.
She said the crash happened in the middle of a busy day.
“We had vacation bible school in the morning, and the girls had rehearsal for a dance recital,” she said.
Bosshart said the wreck happened during rush hour, while they were heading home.
“So, the two lanes closest to me had paused so that I can pass, and I was inching out, and there was no one there, so I pull out, and then someone was there,” she said.
The family’s minivan flipped on its side.
Bosshart said it was her 8-year-old son who thought of an escape plan at that moment.
“My son being very clearheaded, he was like, ‘Mom, open the sunroof,'” she said, “so it opened. He was able to climb out.”
But they were still on an incline.
“I didn’t even want to move. I didn’t want the car to roll because I could tell – so I stayed in and called 911,” said Bosshart.
That’s when good Samaritans jumped to hold the car up, and Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Donnie Rizer came to the rescue.
Body camera video captured what happened next.
“I’m going to come get you, OK? It’s OK, baby,” said Rizer as he grabbed one of Bosshart’s daughters.
Bosshart’s youngest child is 6 months old, and the oldest is 9 years old. All of them are now doing OK.
“My son had a concussion, the one I mentioned opening the sunroof. My oldest daughter had a fractured clavicle,” said Bosshart. “That’s it, just bumps and bruises.”
Bosshart said she had just replaced her baby’s chest clip for her car seat.
“Absolutely grateful that the seat belts and everything, they were buckled in and it did what it was supposed to do,” she said.
Bosshart had a message for Rizer and the strangers who helped that day and made it possible for her and her family to live and heal.
“Thank you, I’m incredibly grateful, and I hope to be able to pay that back someday,” she said.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.