‘She was a firecracker.’ Girl killed in Georgia bus crash remembered by her father

A Hinesville man who lost his daughter in a school bus accident earlier this week has taken to Facebook to share his memories and his grief.

Cambria Shuman was only 5 when she lost her life when her school bus crashed into a tree Tuesday in Liberty County.

In his post, her father, Kris, described his daughter as bright and full of life.

“She loved to dance party and wanted to be a ballerina. She also loved to pick flowers for all her family. I have pulled more flower petals out of my pockets over the years than you could shake a stick at,” he said in his post. “She was a firecracker.”

She was the second of five siblings, according to her father, who described how close she was with them, especially her older sister, Sage, who was also in the accident and suffered minor injuries.

“When that accident happened my sweet Sage was also on the bus and she went back for her sister,” said Kris Shuman in his post. “She knew she was hurt bad.... She told the first responders on scene that thought her sister may be dead.......”

In his post, he describes the fog he was in as he rode to the hospital, the relief at seeing his 10-year-old daughter, Sage, safe, and the wave of grief that came over him when he asked her about her younger sister.

“My oldest looked me in my tear-filled eyes and said, ‘Cambria is ok daddy. God has a plan,’” he said in his post.

Since the accident, several people have reached out to Cambria Shuman’s family offering support and sympathy, and Kris Shuman took the time to address them in his post.

A common question he has received is “what can we do to help?”

“Hug your loved ones tightly. If you would like to do more, come meet my family and me. Be our friends. We need as much support as we can get,” he said in response. “Ask me about my daughter. Meet her brother and sisters. She would have wanted to be your friend. I do too.”

This story was originally published December 8, 2017 at 9:38 AM with the headline "‘She was a firecracker.’ Girl killed in Georgia bus crash remembered by her father."