Nashville cab companies have been rallying to support a driver whose 3-year-old daughter was killed in an Antioch apartment fire.
Coworkers said 33-year-old Endalamaw Dessie Tesfaye tried to pull his daughter Elizabeth Dessie from the fire early Monday morning, but was not able to save her. Now, Tesfaye has been hospitalized with severe burns on 80 percent of his body.
"That's the most tragic way to lose a child that I can imagine," said Jim Burrow, who manages Pink Taxi in Nashville. "I just felt the utmost sadness for him and his family."
Read More: Child Killed, 3 Hurt In Antioch Apartment Fire
Burrow said Tesfaye worked as a taxi driver for Kwik Cab, which is owned by the same person as Pink Taxi. The company's president, Akrem Hasan, said hundreds of taxi drivers know Tesfaye and were devastated to hear about the fire and his daughter's death.
"I visited him in the hospital this morning," Hasan said. "I looked at him in the bed and felt like that could easily be any of us."
Hasan said on Tuesday morning Tesfaye was alert, but could not talk and did not seem to understand that his daughter had died. His wife and young son have also been recovering from less serious injuries in the hospital.
Hasan and several other managers have been collecting donations to help the Tesfaye family get back on their feet. They're launched a gofundme account for donations. To donate to that account, click here.
"With anyone losing a daughter, losing a child that's three years old, they didn't even get a chance," said Allison Moyer, who works with Tesfaye. "We're just going to keep praying for him, and this family around us is going to bring them through it."
