Kentucky girl dies in freak accident on 9th birthday as neck artery is severed after she falls from bike
In a bizarre incident, Charlene Preslee-Kay Sipes, a nine-year-old Kentucky girl died in a freak accident on her birthday. When she crashed her bike into a curb, its handlebar lever impaled her neck, severing an artery. She was pronounced dead at the scene. According to her obituary, Charlene, who was called affectionately as Charlie, was a third-grader at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in Hodgenville, Kentucky.
She is survived by her parents, Tiffany Fischer and John Sipes Jr., a sister, Destancy Sipes, and three brothers, John Sipes III, Nicholas Sipes, and Michael Sipes. In a Facebook post, Charlene's mother, Tiffany Fischer, wrote: "This is isn't supposed to be real. It's supposed to be a dream. I'm going to wake up and it's all a nightmare." Describing Sipes in her post, she said: "She was so funny. She loved to laugh. She loved to make other people laugh. She had the stars in her eyes and such big dreams. Big, big dreams." The family had a gathering for mourners, before the cremation, on September, 20th from 4-8 pm at the Bennet and Bertram funeral home.
A fundraiser for the bereaved family hosted on gofundme.com has attracted 271 donors, who have given more than $10,000. Lisa Deweese, the fundraiser's organizer, wrote on the page asking people to support the family of the deceased girl and revealed: "I worked with Charlie’s [Charlene] dad, John, and he would tell me about how much they prepared for her birthdays and Christmas. He would take pictures of all her gifts and proudly show them off to me. Lol Charlie spent her last day on earth celebrating her 9th birthday. I know it was a day filled with love."
Tiffany Fischer, in her Facebook post honoring her daughter, wrote: "You were the sun. You were my stars. My everything. I love you more, baby", expressing that she did not know "how to do this without you." According to an article in the Daily Mail, Charlene's sudden death shocked the community with grief counseling being offered to Charlene's classmates. Crystal Wilkerson, the principal of Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, released a statement that said: "Charlie was a charming, caring student who was loved by her teachers and her peers. This is a terrible loss for everyone who knew her."