The husband of Ashlee Good, one of the six people stabbed to death inside the Westfield Bondi Junction Shopping Center in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday (April 13), was faced with a painful dilemma after Good and the couple's baby daughter were rushed to different hospitals.
Following the deadly rampage, Dan Flanagan had to choose between seeing his critically injured wife at St Vincent's Hospital or his daughter, nine-month-old Harriet Good, who was taken to Children's Hospital at Randwick after being stabbed.
Highlights
- Husband had to choose between visiting critically injured wife or stabbed baby daughter at different hospitals.
- Nine-month-old Harriet survived the stabbing, showing significant improvement and transferring out of ICU.
- The attack claimed six lives at Sydney's Bondi Junction Shopping Center.
Flanagan ultimately decided to see his wife, but she died in the hospital before making it to surgery, according to The Daily Telegraph.
The father then hurried to see his baby daughter at the Children's Hospital, where she was being treated for stab wounds to her stomach. Harriet had been under the care of her grandmother before Flanagan's arrival.
Image credits: gofundme
The baby girl is recovering and has been transferred out of ICU into a ward, as per Sky News Australia.
During a press conference in Sydney, NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the young victim experienced a "big change and a significant improvement" since her hospitalization.
"I think that is something that our whole country was holding its breath (for). Certainly, over the last 12 hours or so, we've seen that improvement," he added.
Dan Flanagan had to choose between seeing his critically injured wife and nine-month-old daughter, who were taken to separate hospitals after the stabbing rampage
Image credits: 9 News Australia
The minister also thanked the healthcare staff for their work in saving the victims of the attack. "They performed miracles over the course of Saturday night, and, as I said yesterday, people are now alive because of their efforts."
Reports indicate that, after being stabbed at the busy mall, Good spent her final moments trying to protect her daughter.
"The mom got stabbed, and [she] came over with the baby and threw it at me," a witness told 9News.
"I just helped out, just holding the baby and trying to compress the baby, and same with the mother, trying to compress the blood from stopping and calling the ambulance and police. We just kept yelling out to get some clothes to help us compress and stop the baby bleeding."
Flanagan decided to see his wife, who died in the hospital before making it to surgery
Image credits: 9 News Australia
Alongside Good, the victims of the Bondi Junction stabbing spree were 47-year-old Jade Young, 30-year-old Faraz Tahir, 55-year-old Pikria Darchia, 27-year-old Yixuan Cheng, and 25-year-old Dawn Singleton.
The killer, 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, was shot dead at the scene.
Five people remain in hospital—two in intensive care units and three in wards— as of Wednesday (April 13), Sky News Australia reports. All are in a stable condition.
In a statement, the victim's family said that it was reeling from the loss of "a beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, all-round outstanding human"
Image credits: skynews
Nine-month-old Harriet survived the attack and has been transferred out of ICU
Image credits: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
The family of Good released a statement about the tragedy, writing that they're "reeling from the terrible loss of Ashlee, a beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, all-round outstanding human and so much more."
"We appreciate the well-wishes and thoughts of members of the Australian public who have expressed an outpouring of love for Ashlee and our baby girl," the statement continues.
"We can report that after hours of surgery yesterday, our baby is currently doing well. We are so grateful for the expert care and attention of the medical team at Sydney Children's Hospital.
"We would also like to thank the New South Wales Police for their kindness and diligence in this tragedy and emergency services for getting our baby the care she needed as quickly as possible."
The victim's family also expressed their gratitude towards the two men who helped stop baby Harriet's bleeding and asked for "peace and privacy" during this difficult time in their lives.
"At least he was there to say goodbye to her," a social media user commented
