The Copeland Family Updates

The Copeland Family Updates (Janie Hawley)

12/30/2021 12:31pm

I honestly don't even know where to start with these updates and feel very inadequate. But I will do my best to keep it somewhat organized. Please offer all of the grace you can muster with my writing. I'll begin with the night of the event. I understand that not knowing what is going on or what happened and not having details can feel overwhelming, so I want to share some details and miracles from the night of the event to maybe offer some peace of "knowing". I want to warn you before reading, that this post is detailed and could be triggering if you have experienced similar trauma in that past.

Here is an accumulation of all of the accounts of everyone I've heard from that night.

Kyle and Whitney were outside the bus hitching the bus to their trailer. Kyle was kneeling working on it and Whitney was holding the flashlight. Pepper and Kade were in their bunks. Kade was reading and Pepper was using her new iPod Touch. Krew and Emree were in playing the floor is lava towards the front of the bus. They began to hear a propane tank leaking which Emree described as "the sound of water" but was the whistling noise of leaking fumes. This caused Pepper to look over the top of her I pod and yell, "Oh no! Emree go get mom!" Emree was then off the bus and yelled to her parents that something was leaking and something about a fire when the whole bus engulfed in flames. Whitney screamed and began taking off her coat and running to get to the front of the door. Kyle arrived right behind her and as she took the first step into the bus, he grabbed her arm and threw her so hard backwards she almost fell to the ground as if to tell her, "No". Then turned and ran into the flames. This was miracle #1. Whitney looking back does not believe she would have had the stamina necessary to get herself back out, let alone carrying other people. When Kyle arrived at the hospital, they learned that Kyle's coat was miraculously fire resistant. He had received it from his dad as a hand me down only a few weeks earlier. This saved all of Kyle's vital organs. Whitney would have gone in wearing only a t-shirt.

Kade remembered his emergency escape window from his top bunk and immediately exited through it. He was out of the bus within seconds and remembers his curtains being on fire. He has a large blister on the top of his ear which I hear he thinks is "pretty cool". His feet got stuck on his way out, but he was able to get them loose and wiggle down to the ground. Whitney yelled at Kade to go stand by Emree and run away from the bus.

What went on inside of the bus is more speculation right now since we don't have any facts from anyone in the bus. But knowing Pepper's loving and nurturing nature and the pattern of her burns, we believe as soon as she told Emree to get off the bus she called Krew over to her. Miracle #2: Krew was wearing footed pajamas which were fire resistant as well. (California passed a law years ago that all children's footed pajamas must be fire resistant). Miracle #3: Pepper's burns stop right under her ribs and begin again at her knees. She has NO BURNS on the front of her body covering her stomach and thighs and no burns meaning most of the skin and tissue covering her vital organs were untouched. The only explanation for this we can think of, is that she called Krew over to her and pulled Krew into her holding him against her body. His fireproof footed pajamas then would have protected the both of them. Her hands and back are severely burned which we believe she used her hands to cover Krew's head and then turned her back to the fire while only in a thin t shirt.

Kyle came out carrying Krew and pulling Pepper behind him. He handed Krew to Whitney and as he took the last step off of the bus collapsed face down. Pepper stood frozen and in flames on the last step of the bus completely in shock. Whitney grabbed her and pushed their bodies together putting the flames out and then patted the flames out everywhere else. Miracle #4: Whitney's hands only have blisters covering them when she was literally grabbing the flames covering Pepper. Whitney then somehow carried Krew and drug/carried Pepper to the neighbor’s front porch. Kyles’s face swelled so quickly that he couldn't see and was yelling and screaming unsure if everyone was out. Whitney was yelling back to him to run away from the bus and that everyone was out. Whitney was then left to run to each of her family members and care for them until first responders arrived. Whitney said noises are triggering and she's having flashbacks. Her children's screams, the bus catching flame, the explosions, heavy breathing and crying. But she's doing so well considering. She is going from room to room singing and spending time with each of them. All are still sedated. Kyle and Krew’s bodies were luckily protected but their face and hands were badly burnt. Pepper has received the worst burns with her body being so exposed.

Please continue to pray and share the GoFundMe page and Venmo. This family needs our consistent support for a long time. Pray that the doctors will be inspired, and their hands will be steady as they care for them. #Copelandstrong