Ypsilanti Township couple seriously injured in June hit and run accident greets baby girl
Tanesha Bush and Christian Jimenez pose with their baby girl Aliyana in the hospital last week. Bush and Jimenez were seriously injured in a June 3 hit and run accident and welcomed Aliyana into the world on Oct. 19.
Courtesy of Christian Jimenez
Tanesha Bush gave birth to Aliyana, her first child, at 10:46 p.m. Oct. 19 at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital — the same hospital she and Christian Jimenez, her boyfriend, were taken to after a hit-and-run driver struck them on June 3 at a bus stop on the 1300 block of Huron River Drive. The yet-to-be-born Aliyana was the only member of the family to escape the accident uninjured.
Bush was five months pregnant at the time of the accident and suffered a broken leg. Jimenez was the more seriously injured of the two. He suffered a broken neck and serious brain injuries and got out of a rehabilitation facility on Sept. 30.
Jimenez, who makes music and does various other forms of entertainment such as sketch comedy and video production under his stage name AQ Israel, said his baby girl is already home and is taking it easy on her parents — while she’s an animated child, she’s not a big crier.
“It’s pretty laid back,” Jimenez said of Aliyana’s first weekend. “We’re getting used to the whole routine of feeding her every three hours and we’re just making sure we stay on top of that and make sure she rests.
"It’s pretty cool; it’s pretty decent.”
Jimenez said Bush has been recovering since she and the baby returned from the hospital. He said she’s been walking around on her injured leg much better since she gave birth to Aliyana and only needs one crutch to keep her balance.
Aliyana Danelle Perez
Courtesy of Christian Jimenez
He said the biggest thing he’s been worried about since Thursday is fulfilling the many requests from friends and family for pictures of Aliyana.
Kimberly Burke, the woman who was driving the vehicle that hit Bush and Jimenez, is serving a sentence of two to five years in prison for failing to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in serious impairment or death and one to two years in prison for possession of a controlled substance. She was sentenced earlier this month and pleaded guilty to the charges in September.
Burke will spend a maximum of five years in prison for the incident.
Bush and Jimenez are rebuilding their lives after the accident. Three days before the accident, the couple began moving into a new apartment, which they lost during the ensuing months. Jimenez was also supposed to begin a new job at Briarwood Mall, but he lost that after he didn’t show up for work when he was supposed to because he was in the hospital fighting for his life.
In June, he had reconstructive surgery in which doctors placed titanium plates in his leg. Jimenez has no recollection of the accident: his last memory is standing on the balcony of his new apartment with Bush. The next thing he remembers is being in the hospital a month later, he said.
Jimenez said his neck has been feeling much better in recent days than it has any time since the accident. His physical therapy is mainly focused on his neck right now because the scar tissue on his leg is still healing.
He’s very encouraged about how his recovery is progressing.
“I recover fast. I recover really fast. I’m thinking about joining the X-Men,” he said.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Britani Bush
Thu, Oct 27, 2011 : 9:38 p.m.
awwwwww look at my niece!!!!!
kay
Thu, Oct 27, 2011 : 2:49 a.m.
Tank you Ann Arbor.com/Kyle for this update on a story so many of us were wondering about, and hoping would turn out to be okay.
AQ Israel
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 9:53 p.m.
Appreciate the love everybody me, Nesha, and Aliyana survived a lot this year and we're gonna continue to push forward no matter what stands in our way. We're both still in recovery but its going pretty good, I'm not able to go back to work quite yet but i have a lot of plans for the future. As far as the creative aspect of my life i'm getting back to my music i have a new cd entitled "Get AcQuainted Vol 2" up for FREE DOWNLOAD on DatPiff.Com just search for AQ Israel and i'll have hard copies sometime next month as well, i promise you i'm not a pretend artist like it or not i just be myself. I'm also working on directing/producing a few new videos of mine as well as other individuals, although i received damage to my brain earlier this year i'm thinking clearer than ever before. Anyway show me some more love and come "LIKE" my musician page on facebook, follow me on twitter, look me up on youtube, and dont forget to DOWNLOAD the new cd. If you've been crossing your fingers for me this whole time to pull through I LOVE YOU and i wish you all the best in return. AQ Israel - Get AcQuainted Vol 2 <a href="http://www.datpiff.com/AQ-Israel-AQ-Israel-Get-AcQuainted-Vol-2-mixtape.272090.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.datpiff.com/AQ-Israel-AQ-Israel-Get-AcQuainted-Vol-2-mixtape.272090.html</a>
porchbear
Thu, Oct 27, 2011 : 6:16 p.m.
Best wishes to you and your family! Much love!
Dot
Thu, Oct 27, 2011 : 12:04 a.m.
Great to hear you're in high spirits!! Good thoughts and prayers to you and your family. (Just a stranger here : )
Roadman
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 10:04 p.m.
Good luck, AQ! And congratulations on the child! Hope your no-fault carrier is taking care of everything.
yohyohy?
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 6:14 p.m.
Welcome to the world Aliyana! Daddy is gonna have to get better quickly to keep up with you!
5c0++ H4d13y
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 5:39 p.m.
Congratulations! What a cute little girl.
RJA
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 4:43 p.m.
Wishing this wonderful couple the very best now, and the baby girl is beautiful. May God Bless then with all their needs.
lisasimpson
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 3:56 p.m.
Love to hear good news for these two!! I hope they can resume starting their life together soon now that Aliyana is born. PS What a cute baby!!
LaMusica
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 3:01 p.m.
This makes me SO happy! Glad everyone is doing well, and baby is beautiful!!!!
jen
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 2:18 p.m.
congrats the baby is beautiful..what a blessing!!
KeepingItReal
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 1:23 p.m.
Congrats to this young couple. They will do just fine in the future, I'm almost sure of it.
Urban Sombrero
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 11:49 a.m.
Congratulations to the proud parents. I'm so glad everyone's doing well. I cannot get over the hair on that baby! She's adorable.
quitoslady
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 11:45 a.m.
Congrats what a beautiful baby
Mark Hergott
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 11:30 a.m.
Kimberly Burke could have very well killed Aiyana before she was even born. But for luck, Kimberly Burke's selfishness and disregard for society did not kill an entire family. Kimberly Burke must never, ever, ever drive a motor vehicle again.
Justice4all
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 1:25 p.m.
...but for God
Chimay
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 11:19 a.m.
Congratulations! She's beautiful.
ligrasp
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 10:53 a.m.
This article doesn't seem to cover how they are supporting themselves currently. It says they are rebuilding their lives, but then reports they've lost their apartment and his recent job. Are they receiving some kind of assistance from family, community organizations or former employers? Is there some sort of fund that could be set up to help them get through their current situation?
Roadman
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 10:01 p.m.
I belive theyuld likely be eligible for work loss benefits from the applicable no-fault insurer if they were employed prior to the accident and can prove their income. The Crime Victims Services Commission is another possible source for up to $200 per week in work loss benefits.
Dot
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 8:49 p.m.
Unless "Diane" is their family and is actually supporting them, which I doubt hence the :( sad face - I'll ask how do you know "we are"?? How dare you insinuate anything of the sort. This young man may be eligible for SS disability - which would NOT come out of your personal pocketbook. This is a rude assumption, and very telling about your lack of character. This young family does not deserve your commentary.
jen
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 2:16 p.m.
why is it :( that we are supporting them?? i think they deserve all the help they can get...
Diane
Wed, Oct 26, 2011 : 1:19 p.m.
We are supporting them:(