AKRON, Ohio — A heartbroken mother is speaking out after her 8-year-old son was killed in a house fire three days ago.
Rhiannon Crim describes her 8-year-old son, David Johnson, as a child full of energy. She said he had autism and was non-verbal.
"He was a sweet boy, always happy, always smiling and always just full of energy," she said.
The third-grader at Legget Community Learning Center in Akron died in a house fire Thursday.
"At times, it's just like my head is just reeling and spinning all over the place. I know that our house is never going to be the same without him," Crim said.
Crim said she woke up to smoke in her home on 11th Street in Akron. At first, she didn’t realize there was a fire, but as the smoke turned from white to black, she realized things were turning very dangerous.
She said she yelled for David to follow her voice and thought he would make his way onto the roof with her, but went up to the attic instead, where firefighters found him and rushed him to a hospital.
Crim said her middle son and her father all made it out of the house, some of them suffering burns or smoke inhalation.
The family is grateful for the generosity of neighbors. A gofundme account has been set up to help the family during this time.
"I definitely have been very much overwhelmed by all the calls and everyone asking what can we do? What can we do? And I don’t know. I don’t know. I mean I appreciate all the help," she said.
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