The mother of the TikTok-famous “Okay Baby” has spoken out after her family was involved in a car crash last week, which resulted in the death of the beloved toddler, Preston Ordone.
Preston’s mom, Katelynn Ordone, posted a video Wednesday on Instagram where she discussed how her family was doing after the crash. Louisiana State Police confirmed that Preston had been killed on Thursday when a 2011 Ford F-150 driven by his parents veered off the road for unknown reasons and crashed into a tree.
“I wanted to try to come on here and give y’all an update, because I have been hearing about all the love and the support that y’all have been giving and it means so much to us in a time like this,” she began.
She explained that she was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday while her husband, Jaelan, was still an admitted patient. Katelynn said she is currently staying at an Airbnb near the hospital with their seven-year-old daughter, Paisley.
“I think we all are trying…none of us really understand why or how this could happen,” Katelynn continued in her Instagram video. “But y’all support has made a big difference in a lot of this.”
“I may not be able to watch everything, I may not be able to reply to every comment, because it’s really hard for me to look at it. I’m still seeing some things and hearing how much y’all love him, and it means a lot.”
Following Preston’s death, the LSP claimed Preston had been “improperly restrained” in his car seat, which the Ordone family later called “hurtful” and not true.
Preston’s grandfather, Glen Norris, told Nola.com that the child had actually been properly restrained, citing a witness who helped remove Preston from the crashed vehicle.
In a post and comment on Facebook, LSP said its goal was “never to add to the pain,” but rather to “raise awareness” about how to prevent future similar deaths.
“Louisiana law requires all occupants, regardless of seating position, to be properly restrained at all times. The proper use of seat belts and child safety seats can be the difference between life and death,” the force said.
Preston’s antics had earned Katelynn nearly 437,000 followers and more than 33 million likes on TikTok, with videos regularly running up millions of views.
The videos showed Preston joyfully running around, dancing, hiding in odd places, stomping in mud, and generally doing things he had previously assured his parents he would not do.
A GoFundMe page posted by the Ordone family to pay for their medical expenses had raised around $53,000 as of Wednesday evening.
In a video posted to Katelynn’s TikTok page on Sunday, their friends Carson and Melanie Matranga said that the mother-of-two had suffered multiple broken bones and a “very bad concussion,” while Jaelan had emergency surgery to put rods in his legs.
