EDWARDSVILLE, IL (KTVI-FOX2now.com) -
The Crow family of Edwardsville, Illinois is still in a lot of pain. Eight months ago, an old culvert collapsed behind the Crow's home. The collapse trapped 9 year old Jordan and his 7 year old sister Macie. Macie died instantly. Jordan was rescued after a couple of hours. Fox 2 cameras were overhead as rescue crews pulled Jordan from beneath the slabs of concrete. Amazingly Jordan wasn't hurt.
The culvert was an area where generations of kids had played. Amanda Crow had only recently allowed Jordan and Macie to play in the culvert without her standing next to them. It was located in her backyard at the bottom of the hill. She could see them from her house window.
No one knows what caused the ground to shift that day but suddenly out of nowhere, the concrete walls fell in.
Amanda Crow explained "The wall had fallen on him and he was pinned at the hip and I started screaming "where's your sister". I don't even remember what part of her I saw, I think it was hair."
When the concrete shifted, the ground around Macie was like quicksand.
Crow said "I just remember digging in the sand and I found her face." She added "I remember trying to clean out her mouth thinking that she had swallowed too much sand and that she had drowned or something, and Jordan just sitting there praying and crying and I went and got help."
Amanda ran to a neighbor's house and called 911. Authorities had her wait at her home while they worked for two hours using airbags and ropes to free Jordan.
To make the horrible ordeal even worse, Ryan, the children's father was on his way to Canada for a construction job. He got a phone call between flights.
Ryan Crow, father of the children, said "I'll never forget the words. I replay them in my head everyday. Culvert wall fell on Jordan and Macie. They were down there playing and Jordan's getting airlifted and got pinned in and Macie didn't make it."
He was then stunned, alone, and desperate to be at home with his wife and family.
Ryan explained "The whole time I'm trying to find a flight and thinking the worst could be happening to JordanÂ… That two of my children could be killed and be gone and not just one."
Ryan had to wait six hours in the Edmonton airport to get a flight home.
He said "It's just beyond words to be able to explain the pain or what's going through your mind."
In the end, Jordan wasn't injured at all. But Macie was gone.
The children's mother said "It's just not fair. They weren't allowed to leave our property or their uncle's. They always had to be in eye or ear shot and i just got comfortable enough to let them play in the back yard in the creek without me next to them within arms reach."
Amanda did everything in her power to protect her children. No one knows why the culvert collapsed. Pictures show what the creek bed used to look like, with Macie all smiles. The exposed tree roots and large concrete walls made it an explorers dream. Now, it looks different, according to Amanda.
It has only been 8 months since Macie died. Everyone in the Crow family is still hurting, and Jordan struggles with survivor guilt. He and his younger sister still talk about their best friend, Macie.
A card Macie made for her dad the day she died now has special meaning. It says "I will miss you. I love you."
The Crow family credits their deep faith in God as the only way they've managed to survive the grief. The Crows attend First Baptist Church of Maryville where only two weeks before Macie's death, the pastor of their church was shot and killed.
The culvert was an area where generations of kids had played. Amanda Crow had only recently allowed Jordan and Macie to play in the culvert without her standing next to them. It was located in her backyard at the bottom of the hill. She could see them from her house window.
No one knows what caused the ground to shift that day but suddenly out of nowhere, the concrete walls fell in.
Amanda Crow explained "The wall had fallen on him and he was pinned at the hip and I started screaming "where's your sister". I don't even remember what part of her I saw, I think it was hair."
When the concrete shifted, the ground around Macie was like quicksand.
Crow said "I just remember digging in the sand and I found her face." She added "I remember trying to clean out her mouth thinking that she had swallowed too much sand and that she had drowned or something, and Jordan just sitting there praying and crying and I went and got help."
Amanda ran to a neighbor's house and called 911. Authorities had her wait at her home while they worked for two hours using airbags and ropes to free Jordan.
To make the horrible ordeal even worse, Ryan, the children's father was on his way to Canada for a construction job. He got a phone call between flights.
Ryan Crow, father of the children, said "I'll never forget the words. I replay them in my head everyday. Culvert wall fell on Jordan and Macie. They were down there playing and Jordan's getting airlifted and got pinned in and Macie didn't make it."
He was then stunned, alone, and desperate to be at home with his wife and family.
Ryan explained "The whole time I'm trying to find a flight and thinking the worst could be happening to JordanÂ… That two of my children could be killed and be gone and not just one."
Ryan had to wait six hours in the Edmonton airport to get a flight home.
He said "It's just beyond words to be able to explain the pain or what's going through your mind."
In the end, Jordan wasn't injured at all. But Macie was gone.
The children's mother said "It's just not fair. They weren't allowed to leave our property or their uncle's. They always had to be in eye or ear shot and i just got comfortable enough to let them play in the back yard in the creek without me next to them within arms reach."
Amanda did everything in her power to protect her children. No one knows why the culvert collapsed. Pictures show what the creek bed used to look like, with Macie all smiles. The exposed tree roots and large concrete walls made it an explorers dream. Now, it looks different, according to Amanda.
It has only been 8 months since Macie died. Everyone in the Crow family is still hurting, and Jordan struggles with survivor guilt. He and his younger sister still talk about their best friend, Macie.
A card Macie made for her dad the day she died now has special meaning. It says "I will miss you. I love you."
The Crow family credits their deep faith in God as the only way they've managed to survive the grief. The Crows attend First Baptist Church of Maryville where only two weeks before Macie's death, the pastor of their church was shot and killed.
