POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – A Pompano Beach family’s lives are changed forever after a deadly crash in Jacksonville.
Cinddy Sanchez said several members of her family left South Florida Friday on their way to Jacksonville to visit relatives.
But just after 1 a.m. Saturday, a pickup truck heading south on State Road 13 in St. Johns County, Fla., veered out of its lane and struck the SUV head on. Seven people were in the SUV, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Sanchez said her aunt, Veronica Reyes, died in the crash, as well as Veronica’s parents, Antonio and Maria Gomez.
Veronica’s husband, Israel, and children, 5-year-old Sebastian and 2-year-old Xiomara were hospitalized and required surgery.
Sanchez said a teenaged family friend was also in the car and was injured.
According to the FHP, five people were not wearing seatbelts, including one that was killed. A 2-year-old girl who was not restrained was critically injured, the FHP reported.
“That’s very odd to us because she was known to have them in their booster seats,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez has created a fundraising page in hopes of helping surviving family members pay for these unexpected financial expenses.
“We know one funeral is expensive, but three is a lot. We set up the GoFundMe page so that we can alleviate some of the stress,” she said.
As of Sunday, she had raised $17,000 of a $100,000 goal.
The FHP said the driver of the pickup, a 21-year-old from St. Augustine, was among those hospitalized with critical injuries.
Click here if you wish to make a donation via the GoFundMe page.