An eight-year-old girl whose mother and siblings died when their car crashed into a northern New South Wales river earlier this month has spoken of how she escaped the sinking vehicle.
It's been three weeks since Stephanie King's white van spun off muddied Dulguigan Road in Tumbulgum, and into the swollen Tweed River.
The 43-year-old tried to save her three children before herself, but as the van went down only her middle child, Chloe-May Kabealo, escaped.
Chloe-May told 9NEWS she remembered unbuckling her seat belt before floating to the surface.
“I unbuckled my seatbelt, and I tried to go up for air and then I kept floating up out of something, and then I got out.”
She clambered up the bank and found an old farm house about 200m away, where locals assisted her.
“They just took me in, and lent me some clean clothes and cleaned up the cuts on my feet.”
Chloe and her father, Matt Kabealo, said they are still coming to terms the devastating reality of losing most of their family on April 3.
“I'm shattered, I'm not holding up,” Mr Kabealo said.
“I'm just being strong for my daughter, and just getting through it the best we can.”
Chloe said she would “never forget” her mother and siblings.
The Kabealos’ friends, family and community continue to provide support and raise funds for Chloe’s future.
“We have a phrase, 'when the job's on, the job's on’, we band together, we've got a job to do, and we get it done,” Brad Foster from Tweed Byron Local Area Command said.
Tens of thousands of dollars have already been raised in donations from around the country.