From heartbreak to hope: Brevard County rescue reunites car crash survivor with dog lost during accident

Brevard County rescue reunites car crash survivor with dog

A dog that ran off after a serious car crash along the Indian River County and Brevard County line has been found and reunited with her owner after days of searching by volunteers. The dog, Haze, bolted from the scene Friday night when her owner, Lena Narain, was involved in the wreck.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - A dog that ran off after a serious car crash along the Indian River County and Brevard County line has been found and reunited with her owner after days of searching by volunteers.

The dog, Haze, bolted from the scene Friday night when her owner, Lena Narain, was involved in the wreck.

The backstory:

The nightmare began when Lena Narain was involved in a serious car accident on Friday night at the Indian River and Brevard County line. In the chaos of the wreck, her pup Haze bolted from the scene.

For days, the dog was missing in the Florida heat, alone and scared. Lena pleaded from her hospital bed for everyone to be on the lookout for her lost dog. She was at Holmes Hospital for days and couldn’t physically search on her own.

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"I didn’t have any hope that my girl was out there," Narain admitted, recalling the desperation of being confined to a hospital bed while her best friend was missing.

Thanks to volunteers, total strangers and FOX 35, Haze and Lena were reunited on Wednesday.

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"She’s got a lot of cuts and bruises," Narain said. "She’s got a little busted lip, just like her mom. She’s got bit up by ants, but she’ll be fine. I was in disbelief. I couldn’t believe we had found her."

Remarkably, Haze never truly left her owner’s side; she was found very close to the site of the crash.

Community helps

The reunion happened with the help of Isla’s Journey, a specialized search and rescue group based in Brevard County. When they heard Narain’s story, they didn't hesitate.

"We’re going. That’s it, there was no question about it. We were absolutely going," said Cortney Larson, Founder of Isla’s Journey.

They moved fast to save Haze before it was too late.

• Monday: Volunteers hit the ground, hanging posters and dozens of signs near the accident site.
• The Race Against Time: Teams worked frantically sharing her story on social media, worried about internal bleeding or broken bones Haze might have sustained in the crash.
• Wednesday: The breakthrough came when a scent dog named Mendala joined the search.

Within minutes of arriving, Mendala picked up a fresh trail. Shortly after, Haze walked right up to the search party and her mom, who had treats and her favorite toys. The outpouring of support from strangers is still surreal for the car crash survivor.

"I'm grateful for you for bringing so much traction to my girl and helping me bring her home," Narain said about FOX 35 News.

How to support the rescue

What you can do:

Isla’s Journey operates on volunteer power and community donations to bring lost pets home to their families. To modernize their efforts and cover more ground in the dense Florida brush, the group is trying to search by sky.

The rescue is currently fundraising for a thermal drone. This technology will allow teams to search by air, using heat signatures to locate injured or hiding animals in locations that are difficult for humans or scent dogs to reach.

To support Isla’s Journey, you can visit their social media page on Facebook to donate to the thermal drone fund and volunteer for future search-and-rescue deployments. You can also visit the organization's GoFundMe page.