Australian parents die in crash after visiting 13-day-old premature daughter in hospital

Aussie newborn orphaned after parents die in crash

ADELAIDE, Australia — A 13-day-old premature baby is an orphan after her parents were killed in a car crash while driving home from visiting her in a hospital.

The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that Justin Schollbach and Leah James were killed last Tuesday after one of their twice-daily visits to daughter Lucy at Sydney’s Royal Hospital for Women.

Lucy Schollbach was born 12 weeks premature on Sept. 1, weighing just 2.9 pounds (1.3 kilograms). She was their first child.

The newspaper reported Monday that 33-year-old James had five other children aged 6 to 15.

The baby is expected to stay in hospital until November. She is under the care of a government department until it is decided who will raise her.