Mother of Michigan child killed in Thanksgiving Day crash testifies in court

A Michigan judge heard emotional testimony Thursday during Austin Thorpe's preliminary examination in connection with a Thanksgiving Day crash that killed his 5-year-old daughter, Naevi Dushaj, critically injured her younger brother and injured two other drivers.

Naevi's mother, Morgan Dushaj, testified that she became concerned when her children did not return, and she was unable to reach Thorpe. 

"His mom had called and told me that my kids were in a head-on collision. I grabbed my mom and went to the hospital," Dushaj said.

Dushaj later described the shock of the hours that followed.

"I kind of blacked out, but ... I waited there, I guess, to kind of try to locate my daughter," she said.

The court also heard from Bruce-Romeo firefighter-paramedic Jason Fraleigh, one of the first responders at the scene. Fraleigh testified he found catastrophic damage and discovered the children in the back seat of Thorpe's vehicle.

"He was crying, which is a good sign. He had vomited at least once," Fraleigh said.

Fraleigh testified that the child suffered a head injury and was transported as a Priority One trauma patient. He also testified that the child was buckled into a car seat, but the seat itself was not attached to the vehicle.

The hearing also included testimony from Noah and Valerie Yasso, who were in the other vehicles involved in the crash.

Noah Yasso testified that he saw a dark sedan enter his lane before the collision and then ran to Valerie's vehicle.

"I immediately get out of the car, and I start sprinting towards her car. As I get closer to it, then I see her car is completely smashed in the front, and it was a head-on collision," he said.

Valerie Yasso testified she does not remember the crash and woke up in the hospital days later.

"I had a couple brain bleeds. I had a fractured jaw in two different locations. I had a ruptured artery. I had a fracture in my wrist, which also required surgery. I had a fractured ankle as well as multiple fractures of the right foot," she said.

Valerie Yasso testified she also suffered spinal injuries that required surgery and hardware placement in her back. She said she continues to deal with pain and limited mobility as a result of the crash.

Prosecutors also disclosed in court that testing detected Delta-9 THC in Thorpe's blood and are seeking to add an additional charge related to serious bodily injury.