Double memorial service held for couple killed in crash

Identity of driver hasn't been released

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Linda Dudley felt a range of emotions stirring inside her as she placed photos on a picture board hours before her niece's memorial service Wednesday at Fred Hunter's Funeral Home.

"Joy, tears, pain, laughter -- all of that mixed in," Dudley said about her emotional state. "We are numb. There's a void in us that’s never going to be filled and this is something that has changed our lives forever."

Two weeks ago Danielle Baldwin, who is Dudley's niece, and  Baldwin’s fiancé Steve Olivert, were celebrating their 12-year anniversary as a couple when a car slammed into the back of their car at a high rate of speed.

The couple was stopped at a red light at the time of the collision, and the impact caused them to be pushed into traffic.

Neither Baldwin nor Olivert survived their injuries.

"They did everything together," Dudley said. "They enjoyed life together, they planned together,  they worked hard together-- they died together."

The memorial service will be held in honor of both Olivert and Baldwin.

After the crash, the driver, who is accused of driving under the influence, stripped off his clothes inside a nearby mattress store and then went into a bar, according to witnesses.

Police eventually caught up with the man, but his identity hasn't been made public yet.

"I'm very appalled that this man and his family haven't come forth and apologized for him killing our kids,"  Dudley said. "And he has to be held accountable."

 

 


About the Author:

Terrell Forney joined Local 10 News in October 2005 as a general assignment reporter. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, but a desire to escape the harsh winters of the north brought him to South Florida.