ORLANDO, Fla. – After an unexpected tragedy ended in the death of 40-year-old Orinthia Thomas earlier this year, Thomas’ family is now raising funds to prepare for her funeral.
Thomas died Aug. 10 at Orlando Regional Medical Center, two weeks after she was burned in a fiery crash in Orlando.
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Her mother, Patsy Thomas, said everyone had high hopes that she would recover from her injuries, which made it hurt even worse when she was unable to pull through.
“It’s just really heartbreaking. I cannot explain ...” Patsy said.
On July 25, Orinthia hit a tree, and her car then caught fire. The family said it left her with severe burns.
“Horrible, it was so terrible,” Patsy said. “She was all burned.”
Orinthia’s boyfriend, Ernest Jordan, booked a flight from New York to Orlando as soon as he heard what happened.
He stayed for a few days. Before he got on a plane back to New York, Jordan told Orinthia he loved her and that he would see her soon.
“Not goodbye, but I’ll see you soon, and I never got to see her again,” Jordan said.
Orinthia would not have the title “girlfriend” for long because Jordan planned to propose to her in November on his 50th birthday.
“We made plans, saying that we were going to spend three lifetimes together,” Jordan said.
Now, all he and the family have are memories.
“She was a very (impressive) woman, and she’s (going to) be deeply missed,” Jordan said.
Patsy said the unexpected tragedy put her in a tight spot financially, as she is trying to plan a funeral for next week.
“It is a struggle, so the family is trying to put together and see if they can help me with the money,” Patsy said.
The family created a GoFundMe to cover funeral expenses. They say any help from the community would be greatly appreciated.
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