Gabriel Fordham has been identified as the driver behind the wheel of a vehicle that slammed into 9-year-old LaDerihanna Holmes, who was playing in her front yard. In the horrifying video, a black vehicle can be seen running a stop sign before jumping the curb and slamming into the young girl.
Now, the 28-year-old Fordham is speaking out on the crash and claiming that he was fighting off an armed carjacker at the time.
“Someone jumped in his vehicle with a pistol, put the gun to his face, made him drive, and the whole time my client was driving, he was kind of directing the path,” Fordham’s attorney, Ryan Williams, said, via WSB. “My client tried to take the gun from him, the guy hits him in the face, my client blacks out, and that’s why you see the full fledge force of them going through a stop sign.”
The young girl suffered a skull fracture with laceration and a broken pelvic bone in three places.
Her right heart valve was also leaking.
LaDerihanna’s lawyer has set up a GoFundMe account to help with medical expenses. The fundraiser has currently raised more than $47,000 of its $75,000 goal.
From the account:
LaDerihanna sustained a skull fracture with laceration, a broken pelvic bone in 3 places, a front fracture is shattered and a deep back laceration is fractured, as well as a a leak in her right heart valve. It is a miracle that she is still alive. At this current moment, she is in critical condition and the family is in need of financial assistance. The family is asking for any donations that can help with medical assistance as a result of this tragic accident.
Update: Each day, we discover more about the obstacles that this brave little girl and her family face; not just the days in the hospital but the months, and perhaps years, ahead to cope with the devastating impact of this incident. Thank you for your prayers and support.
We continue to wish LaDerihanna a full and speedy recovery.
