It's about our way of life, remember? From the NY Daily News, May 12:

Sister, 11 fights to
live after L.I. crash

The heartbroken parents of a 9-year-old girl killed in a car crash in Merrick prayed for a miracle yesterday as their 11-year-old daughter lay in a coma.

"She's in very serious condition," Marc Mauser, a family lawyer, said of Christie Iburg, whose sister, Lisa, died about five hours after the 9:40p.m. wreck on Tuesday. "It's very hard for the parents to deal with. They're numb."

The girls were seated in the rear of a minivan driven by their mom, Joanne, when 18-year-old Vadim Atvashyan smashed his 2005 Acura into the side of the van, sending it spinning, Nassau County police said.

The centrifugal force ejected the girls through the van's rear window, causing massive injuries to both.

Family and friends gathered throughout yesterday in the waiting room of Nassau University Medical Center's intensive care unit.

"It's a very sensitive situation," Mauser said. "No one's really sure what to say."

The girls' father, John Iburg, a New York City firefighter, was the only member of the five-person immediate family not in the van when the crash occurred.

His 14-year-old son, also named John, suffered minor injuries. He has not left his sister's bedside, Mauser said.

The crash also severely injured John's great-grandmother, Concetta Mattera, 88, of Ridge, who is recovering in South Nassau Communities Hospital.

No charges have been filed.

Nassau homicide detectives said they are still gathering evidence from the vehicles' onboard computers and recording devices, which may reveal how the crash happened.

For the Iburg family, nothing would ease the pain of their loss.

"There's nothing worse," Mauser said.

The Iburg girls were exceptional athletes and musicians, and well-known throughout the close-knit Merrick community.

The parents learned of Lisa's death about 2:40 a.m. Wednesday, said Mauser. "Now they have to focus all of their thoughts on Christie. They're praying for a miracle."

See other reasons WHY WE FIGHT.