KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – A University of Tennessee student just weeks away from graduation and her wedding was seriously injured after a crash in Cleveland, Ohio.
Payton Toombs and her fiancé, Maverick, were in a vehicle hit by a man driving a stolen car, according to police. The crash involved several cars. One person died and four others were hurt.
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Toombs’ parents were in Tennessee when they learned their daughter was injured. Her mother, Divina Hendrickson, got the call right after the crash.
“Calling Dad and hitting the road to get to her,” Hendrickson said.
Her parents and siblings traveled from Middle Tennessee to Cleveland to be with her.
“First and foremost, we want her safe and alive, and we are blessed for that,” said Randi Richardson, Toombs’ sister. “She’s amazing; she’s the best one of us. We do joke and say we’re all going to be Payton when we grow up.”
Toombs has undergone multiple surgeries to replace a broken femur and the back of her pelvis. Her father, Randy Toombs, said his daughter remained focused despite the setback.
“All she said was ‘I guess I need to put some stuff back and rearrange’, and I’m like yeah maybe so,” Randy Toombs said.
The family had a wedding shower at her oldest sister’s house last weekend.
Toombs will finish her degree on time, but walking at graduation likely will not happen. The couple was in Ohio for a cornhole tournament.
The family does not know how long she will be in the hospital. Toombs cannot do inpatient treatment in Tennessee because of her injuries and will have to do all of that in Cleveland.
“We’re planning on hanging out here for as long as we need to hang out here,” Randy Toombs said. “It’s not easy, but it’s going to be done.”
The suspect in the crash, Zayd Alameen, was charged with aggravated vehicular assault and and aggravated vehicular homicide.
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