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EXCLUSIVE: An American family is still searching for answers and justice after they lost their daughter and mother in a head-on car crash in 2001 caused by illegal immigrant was driving on the wrong side of a Florida highway.
In a video interview with The American Border Story (TABS) obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, angel mom Vicki Shermock Lyon and her grandchildren Brianna and Brandon Shermock described the utter devastation they felt after losing their daughter and mother Dannielle Nicole “Nikki” Shermock in the collision.
According to Vicki, the illegal immigrant in the other car was driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs when he turned onto the opposite side of the highway in Fort Myers, Florida. Driving in the oncoming lane, the criminal crashed his pickup truck into Nikki's small Honda. Nikki, who was 25, died instantly. The illegal immigrant, meanwhile, survived, although he was thrown from the truck and had two broken legs.
Brianna and Brandon, who were just 4 years and 16 months old respectively at the time, were also in the car at the time of the accident and were airlifted to a hospital in Orlando. Brandon suffered scrapes and bruises to his skin, and Brianna had to undergo emergency brain surgery.
Vicki Shermock Lyon (left) continues to mourn the loss of her daughter Dannielle Nicole “Nikki” Shermock (right) in a 2001 car crash involving an illegal immigrant who later disappeared. (American Frontier History)
In an interview, Vicky said that she said goodbye to her daughter for the last time just twenty minutes before the accident. When her son called her with the news, Vicki said she immediately jumped into the car.
“I didn’t know where I was going or what I was doing. I got out and jumped in the car and just drove away, and I just knew I needed to find my kids,” she said.
When she arrived at the scene, authorities and paramedics told her that the children had already been taken to the hospital.
Vicki said she couldn't believe her daughter was gone and kept asking, “Where's Nikki?” Where's Nikki? When a paramedic confirmed her daughter had died, Vicki said she “just passed out.”
Authorities rushed her to the hospital, where she checked on her grandchildren.
“Finally, the coroner's office came and said, 'We need you to come and identify your daughter's body,'” she said, fighting back tears. “So her dad and I went to the coroner's office, the morgue, and we had to identify Nikki's body. I saw her just twenty minutes ago. I could tell you what she was wearing, what she was wearing that day, and then seeing her broken body, it still haunts me.”
OFFICIALS SAY FORMER WOMAN PLAYER'S MOM KILLED IN CAR ACCIDENT INVOLVING AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT
Brianna Shermock (pictured), then 4 years old, suffered serious injuries in the crash and was taken to a nearby hospital in Orlando where she underwent emergency brain surgery, according to Vicki Shermock. (American Frontier History)
Meanwhile, the illegal immigrant was also taken to the hospital and then to a rehabilitation center for treatment. However, according to Shermock's family, the immigrant's family came “in the middle of the night” and took him from the hospital, and he has not been seen or heard from since.
In the video, Brandon explains that the illegal immigrant's family “came and just stole him.”
“As far as I know, there were no cameras, they just said, ‘He’s coming with us,’ and then he just disappeared. There's no way to document where he was, where he went, he just disappeared.”
Today, nearly 25 years later, the illegal immigrant still has not paid for his crimes, the family said.
Vicki noted that “probably thanks to the Biden administration's open border, he's back around here somewhere.”
Speaking about the Biden White House, Vicki said: “He and his entire administration have blood on their hands and have no conscience about what they did to us as parents and loved ones.”
Immigrants line up at a U.S. Border Patrol remote processing center after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border during the Biden administration Dec. 7, 2023, in Lukeville, Arizona. (John Moore/Getty Images)
On the other hand, the family praised the measures taken by the Trump administration to close the border and restore immigration controls in the United States.
In a conversation with Fox News Digital, Vicki said that President Donald TrumpBorder Czar Tom Homan “promised me he would do everything in his power to help find the illegal immigrant responsible for my daughter's death.”
“He made it clear that this fight is not over for my family or the other Angel Families who are still waiting for justice,” Vicki said. “Knowing that someone like Border King Gomanwho truly understands the flaws of our broken system, helps me, and gives me a sense of hope that I haven't felt in years. This means the world needs to know that this administration truly cares about bringing criminals to justice and putting American families first.”
“It hurts to tell our story, but I know it's important,” she explained, adding, “If one more person understands what's really going on in this country and why we need to protect our border, then maybe another family won't have to go through what we went through.”
“Losing Nikki shattered our world,” Vicki continued. “There are no instructions on how to recover from something like this. You just wake up every day and do your best to get through it. “I tried to be strong for her children, Brianna and Brandon, and make sure they grew up knowing who their mother was and how much she loved them.”
ICE REVEALS STUNNING STATS AFTER EXPOSING 'WORST OF THE WORST' HALLOWEEN WEEKEND ARRESTS
Brianna Shermock shared a message of perseverance despite tragedy and trauma, telling interviewers that “even when they say you can't, you can. I was given a 30 percent chance of surviving the accident and I'm 27 years old and about to get married and have a baby.” (American Frontier History)
Brianna shared a message of perseverance despite tragedy and trauma, telling interviewers that “even when they say you can’t, you can. I was given a 30 percent chance of surviving the accident and I'm 27 years old and about to get married and have a baby.”
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Commenting on the case, Nicole Kiprilova, executive director of TABS, told Fox News Digital that after Democrats won Tuesday night's election, “we are more determined than ever to make sure Americans understand the real impact border crisis – not only about politics, but also about families.”
“Every time Democrats take control, we see the border fall apart and innocent Americans pay the price,” Kiprilov said.
