CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Six people died in a deadly crash in Charlotte, NC over the weekend.
State troopers say two vehicles collided Saturday on I-485 near the airport exit.
Five of the victims were family members, including three small children, traveling together on their way to Carowinds, according to relatives.
“I’m feeling numb, angry, emotional,” said April Willis, a mother, grandmother, and aunt to the victims in an interview with the Queen City News. “I don’t know which way to turn.”
Willis lost her daughter, Taylor, as well as her 8-year-old nephew and two young grandchildren.
“I’m just going to miss them altogether,” she said. “[My grandchildren] were only 1 and 3. Now they don’t have a life to live.”
Taylor Willis’s boyfriend, Jake Holmes, was killed too.
Troopers say a 16-year-old boy hit the family’s van, and both vehicles collided with a parked tractor-trailer on the shoulder of the highway.
The teenage driver, Logan Sauer, also died at the scene.
As April Willis and her family mourn, they’re spending all their time at the hospital with another one of her daughters, 16-year-old Katelynn.
She broke her back and collarbone in the crash and was the only survivor from the two vehicles.
April Willis asks for prayers as she works to take life a day at a time, missing the love that her family held so deeply.
“Taylor was wonderful for her kids,” Willis said. “She was a wonderful mom, took care of her kids and just was always there for her kids no matter what.”
State troopers are still investigating the crash, but they say they don’t expect there to be any criminal charges.
An online fundraiser has been set up to help the family.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
