In a freak accident, a falling tree killed both of their children. Now the kids' faces are on a billboard to warn others.
Courtesy of Crystal Clark.
- Two children died in a freak accident when they were struck by a falling tree while camping.
- Crystal Clark told Insider her kids were "the best of friends," and she feels their loss every day.
- Now, she and her husband are raising awareness for tree maintenance because "it could save a life."
In a freak accident, two children were tragically killed by a falling tree last year. Now, their parents are raising awareness for tree maintenance with a billboard campaign.
The Clark family liked to spend time together. Whether it was board games or family dinners, Crystal Clark told Insider that she and her husband, Brian, loved to spend quality time with their two kids, Xander and Ziva.
"Spending time with them was the most important thing to my husband and I, and we always ate dinner together as a family," Crystal Clark told Insider, adding that they could "forget about work," put away their devices, and "enjoy our family of four."
"They truly were the best of friends," she added of her kids. "Dinners are very difficult now with two empty seats."
The Clarks often took their kids camping at Indian Oaks Campground in Owen County, Indiana, according to The Washington Post. It was at that camp that tragedy struck on April 23, 2022, the outlet reported.
As the family rode on a golf cart that breezy afternoon, Brian told the Post he heard a crash and jumped off of the cart. It was then that he saw a 40-foot tree on top of Xander and Ziva, The Post reported.
Crystal screamed; they called for help, but when emergency responders arrived, it was too late, The Post reported. At just 9 and 8 years old, Xander and Ziva were dead.
Courtesy of Crystal Clark.
"You stay in shock for quite some time," Crystal told The Post. "I mean, your children were six, eight inches from you and instantly gone."
"I don't know that the anger or the pain ever goes," Brian told the outlet. "Every day I'm reminded that they are not here, and every day that's a different angry level."
Now, the couple has placed a billboard along the interstate en route to the campsite warning others to check their trees after heavy rains and wind. Smiling photos of Xander and Ziva accompany the message, "You could save a life!"
"It was not the trunk of the tree that took my children's life," she told Insider. "It was the limbs that slammed on the roof of our golf cart, sliding off and killing our children."
The US Forest Service warns that a "hazard tree" may have broken limbs, dead needles, or woodpecker holes and that campers should stay vigilant, especially when it's windy.
Crystal wants people to "look up" if they hear a loud noise near their home, park, or campground.
"Our whole purpose is just to have people think about something most people do not."