Two cheerleaders and their mothers injured in car crash

CHESAPEAKE, Ohio (WSAZ) - A trip home Sunday night to Huntington from an all-star cheer competition near Cincinnati turned into a nightmare.

Holly Banfi says she was in the passenger seat of her friend Jocelyn Page’s car, and Jocelyn was behind the wheel. Their daughters London and Saylor were in the back seat.

They say they were on Route 32 in Adams County stopped at a red light when they were rear-ended.

“That’s when everything went black,” Banfi said. “It completely knocked us both out. I remember when I woke up, I was lying in the road, and my daughter was still trapped inside. They were cutting her out.”

All four were injured, and the girls were hurt the worst. They all remain at Cincinatti Children’s Hospital.

“These girls are so sweet, they’re such good friends,” Banfi said.

Saylor Page will require reconstructive surgery on her face. London Banfi suffered a broken femur.

The girls cheer for Tumble World in Chesapeake. Monday evening, their friends there signed get-well banners that will be taken to the hospital.

“I’ve cried multiple times off and on the last day,” Gara Adkins, another Tumble World parent, said. “My little girls cheered with them four years. It’s not just cheer. It’s family.”

The families say they’ve been getting outpourings of support, not just from cheer groups around the region, but other parts of the country. Banfi says people she doesn’t know have been donating money and other items while they recover at the hospital.

“It really warms my heart to know there are so many people that have helped us in just a few short hours,” Banfi said. “Just to know we’re so loved by people who don’t even know us is a blessing.”

Saylor’s mother says she’ll have to stay in the hospital recovering for up to two weeks before she’ll even be able to have surgery.

Tumble World will be selling special t-shirts and bows to raise money for those hurt and their families.

“I know we’ll be up here a long time,” Jocelyn told WSAZ. “It’s nice knowing people care enough to make sure you’re okay.”

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