‘She’s doing amazingly well’: Girl, 9, survived Las Vegas crash that killed mom, woman

A 9-year-old girl who was the sole survivor of a crash that killed her mother and another woman in the east Las Vegas Valley earlier this month is talking and “feisty” after a string of recent surgeries but still has a long road to recovery, according to a relative.

On June 10, Tiana Harris, 36, was driving a Nissan Murano SUV with her friend Latasha Patterson, 38, in the front passenger seat and Harris’ daughter sitting in the rear. Harris was traveling east on Carey Avenue toward Pecos Road at a “high rate of speed,” when Harris lost control of the vehicle and ran up onto the curb, colliding with a side wall and light pole before coming to a rest, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

The girl’s family is declining to fully identify the girl for privacy reasons, said Shirlise Castille, the girl’s second cousin. The girl’s father, Alvin Allen, declined to comment, Castille said, so he can focus on being with his daughter.

Both women were declared dead at the scene while the girl was taken to University Medical Center, police said. The Clark County coroner’s office identified Patterson a day after the crash, and Harris was identified on Monday.

The girl remained at UMC Thursday with no immediate timetable for a release, Castille told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in a phone interview. She’s undergone four surgeries so far, including one to amputate her right foot, and has another scheduled for Monday, Castille said. The girl is also recovering from several broken bones.

“She’s doing amazingly well, she’s talking and being the feisty little 9-year-old that she is,” Castille said. “Yesterday (Tuesday) was the first time we were actually able to hold a conversation, so it’s really good, and we’re so proud of the progress that she’s made.”

Raising funds for prosthetic, therapy

Following the crash, Castille began organizing a GoFundMe digital fundraiser that as of Thursday had raised more than $2,300 of its stated $16,000 goal. Those funds will go toward physical therapy, trauma counseling, a prosthetic foot, and helping the girl adjust to her new life upstate in Reno, where Allen currently lives.

Some of those funds will also go toward travel and living expenses for Allen while he remains in Las Vegas to accompany his daughter during her recovery, Castille said. Upon learning about the incident, Allen caught the first flight he could from Reno to Las Vegas, and has since put his catering and food truck business on pause to be with his daughter, Castille said.

“We’re supporting him the best we can,” Castille said of Allen, who is her first cousin. “And we know she’s going to need counseling for the foreseeable future, then just getting her acclimated to a new version of a 9-year-old’s life.”

Tannya Peters, who in social media posts described Patterson and Harris as “daughters,” said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that a memorial service for the two women will be held 4 p.m. Saturday. Separate fundraisers have also been started to cover funeral costs for Harris and Patterson.

Attempts to reach Peters and other friends or relatives of either Harris or Patterson were unsuccessful.

But as the little girl continues her recovery, she has been flooded with teddy bears, Squishmallows and other stuffed animals and toys to help comfort her during her stay at UMC, Castille said. It’s still not totally clear what the girl recalls from the wreck, Castille said, but the family, doctors and mental health professionals are getting a better understanding each day.

“Obviously, she’ll never be the same from this,” Castille said. “But our hope is that we can guide her through this with the help of her father and family, just to get her to be that happy, bubbly, 9-year-old that she was before this.”

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X. or @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.