Katelynn Ordone shares an update following her two-year-old's death; influencer's mother says the family are living a 'nightmare'
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Katelynn Ordone with her son (Source: Instagram/@kate_ordone)Mom-influencer Katelynn Ordone and her husband, Jaelen Ordone, lost their 2-year-old son, Preston Ordone, last month. On April 24, the toddler lost his life in a car accident in Louisiana, People reported. Netizens lovingly called him Okay Baby.
The social media content creator shared an update about the fatal accident in April. Sharing the announcement post on Instagram, she expressed her thankfulness to everyone for being there with the family during this sensitive time.
Describing their current reality as living through their "worst nightmare," she wrote in the caption,
"Thank you to everyone who has been here for us during this time. Nothing will take away the pain we feel and how much we miss Preston every single day, but it is helpful to have such a strong support system in the midst of living our worst nightmare."
Katelynn Ordone updated netizens about the accident
Elaborating on the car crash in the Instagram post, the mother of two wrote,
"For those of you who don’t know, my husband and I suffered severe concussions and have no memory of the accident. There has been a lot of misinformation out there & we want to share the most accurate information we have at this time."
She spoke about hiring an independent accident reconstruction expert to thoroughly look into the unfortunate incident. She further continued,
"According to the vehicle’s black box data, the vehicle was traveling at 70 mph before decelerating and making a right turn, impacting at approximately 60 mph."
Reflecting on Preston sitting inside the car, Katelynn Ordone also added,
"Preston was properly secured in a two-piece, 360-degree car seat positioned behind the passenger seat. As previously stated by witnesses, Preston remained fully restrained in his car seat throughout the incident. He was removed from the vehicle still securely fastened and brought to the side of the road by bystanders—this occurred before any emergency vehicle arrived at the scene."
She opened up about the details provided by the witnesses, sharing,
"Witnesses shared that it appeared to take at least 15 minutes for first responders to arrive, at which point Preston was still fully secured in his car seat and was handed over to them."
The TikTok star also stated that the reports confirmed that the car seat base was installed and belted in as well.
While discussing the car seat, she also chimed in,
"However, there appears to have been an issue with how the seat attached to the base: the locking pins were stuck in the engaged position, which may have prevented the seat from fully securing to the base. After learning this, we further researched this particular car seat and discovered the issue has been reported by others as well."
The message further read,
"As for the cause of the accident, it is currently believed to have been the result of a medical emergency, which is consistent with the vehicle’s deceleration and steering behavior."
On behalf of her family, Katelynn Ordone appreciated everyone's "continued prayers and support" as they "navigate this unbearable tragedy."
She concluded the post, penning,
"We are grateful for the continued prayers. Our only source of strength right now is our faith and the hope we have in God. We can’t imagine walking through this without the assurance of eternal life and the peace that comes from knowing the truth."
Earlier this month, the Ordone family conducted a flower memorial for Preston. They held the memorial event to pay the little one "special tribute" and "honor his life and spirit."
Hosted at the Glory Church in Slidell, Louisiana, they invited everyone "to come as you are, at any time."
Sharing glimpses of the flower memorial on Instagram, Katelynn penned,
"In loving memory of Preston Ordone,
A special tribute has been created to honor his life and spirit. A pair of overalls, made with love, are available at Glory Church for anyone who would like to stop by and place a flower in his memory."She affectionately continued the invitation, mentioning,
"You are warmly invited to come as you are, at any time, to pay your respects and place a flower in the overalls as a symbol of love, remembrance, and support."
She proposed to "come together in remembrance to celebrate the life and light" his two-year-old brought into the world.
TOPICS: Katelynn Ordone, death