‘A great dad;’ Widow speaks out about recovery from crash that killed husband, father of children

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Clark County — A mother and her children are recovering from their injuries while grieving the death of their father and husband after a deadly crash in Clark County last week.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Father dead, mother and children seriously injured in Clark County crash on U.S. 68

On April 25, the Botkin family was heading to a play when a driver accused of being impaired crashed into them at the intersection of U.S. 68 and Fairfield Pike in Springfield Township.

As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, Ryan Botkin’s wife, Amber, said she remembers every detail of the crash.

“I remember everything, I remember very distinctly saying ‘Where’s my husband, Where’s my husband’ and him saying ‘I’m right here’ and he was outside my window and I could reach out and put my arm on his arm and that was the last time I got to talk to him,” Amber said.

Ryan Botkin, 44, sustained internal injuries and died on his way to the hospital. His wife, Amber, and their two children, ages 12 and 8, were taken to area hospitals with serious to critical injuries, according to a previous News Center 7 report.

12-year-old Evan is now recovering from one of many surgeries he will have to undergo, Amber said. He sustained a broken ankle, tibia, thumb, and lacerated spleen.

“He’s bruised. You know, head to toe that kid, so we have a long, long road to go,” Amber said.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Woman accused of causing crash that killed local father, injured his wife and children charged

Amber and 8-year-old Owen are out of the hospital, but he still has follow-up appointments with his doctors. Owen sustained burns on his arms and legs, while Amber had four cracked ribs and a broken arm.

“I don’t really know how to be an adult without him. He was my best friend,” Amber said.

Amber has been with Ryan since she was 16, but now, she and her boys are grieving.

“I was crying and I told him that I was overwhelmed and sad about his dad and he reached up and grabbed my hand and was just like ‘I’ll always be there for you Mom, you know I always will’ and it broke my heart,” Amber said.

Evan and Owen are still trying to process what happened to their dad.

“Asking 1,000 questions about death and about daddy and about how he can help him. So that is difficult,” Amber said.

She tries to answer as many questions as she can, and the family spends time talking about Ryan every day.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ‘So much support;’ Community gathers to help family after Clark Co. crash kills father, husband

“Honestly, just the best dad. He raised two incredible sons,” Ryan’s brother-in-law Trent Martin said.

“He was just a great dad, so his presence will leave a hole for sure,” Amber said.

Amber said she and her children plan to go to therapy. To donate to the Botkin family, click here.

On Monday, the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office presented the case against the at-fault driver, Katharine Holder, to a grand jury.

Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers believe Holder was impaired at the time of the crash, according to a previous News Center 7 report.

We will continue to follow this story.

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