This Fresno toddler survived a tragic Texas highway crash. Her 1-year-old sister died
A 1-year-old baby from Fresno was killed in a collision on a Texas interstate last week.
The girl’s mother and 2-year-old sister were also hospitalized in the crash, which occurred Jan. 12 on Interstate 20 east of Dallas, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Katanni Senegal, her two children and a family friend, identified as 22-year-old Chassity Gantt, were traveling west through the city of Canton when they were struck from behind by a semi-truck.
It is not know why the truck “failed to slow” and hit the car, according to the DPS report.
Both children were airlifted to Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, about 100 miles away.
Kalani Senegal, 1, was revived twice on the scene and died two days later. Kanise Starks, 2, suffered multiple injuries, including a broken pelvis.
Their mother was taken to another hospital and later released. Senegal lives in Fresno, where she graduated from McLane High School.
On Thursday, the family told The Bee that Senegal and her children were in Texas visiting their father at the time of the crash.
Kanise has since been released from the hospital and was headed back to Fresno with her mother.
Funeral services for Kalani are in the works, but flowers and cards can be sent to 4974 E. Clinton Way 93727. Financial support for funeral arrangements can be made to the Senegal Family Private Trust at Wells Fargo Bank, No. 1726813189.
In a post on Facebook, Lynisha Senegal said the loss of her “grandbaby Kalani has already changed the world.”
“Through her, she gifted eight families the gift of life from her organs,” she wrote.
“Her smile and her laugh and the power of her example, urges me to be better. I am forever changed.”
Lynisha Senegal also told The Bee she was grateful for the relief agencies and emergency personal who arrived on scene and were able to get the children airlifted to the hospital so quickly.
“I can’t thank them enough.”
She’s also grateful that the tragedy wasn’t worse, given the photos of the crash she saw. Senegal and Gantt suffered only concussions, she said.
“There’s no way they all should have survived that,” Lynisha Senegal said.
