Georgia family of 5 killed when their car going the wrong way on interstate hits 18-wheeler semitruck
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA: Five members of the same Georgia family, including two young children, were killed in a wrong-way crash in Alabama on Friday, November 18. The horrific car crash took place on Interstate 65 N near Montgomery at around 12.30 pm when a 2021 Toyota Corolla entered the interstate going the wrong way and collided with an 18-wheeler tractor-trailer.
The Corolla was driven by 49-year-old Maria Baltazar, who was pronounced dead at the crash site. The passengers of the vehicle, identified as her son Hosea Lopez, 27, who was accompanied by his wife, Veronica Gonzalez, 28, and their two children — Christian Lopez Gonzalez, 10, and Edwardo Lopez Gonzalez, 4. All five were killed in the wreck, according to Montgomery Police Corporal Tina McGriff.
READ MORE
Erica Hoy: Young actress killed in horror car crash in front of boyfriend and twin sister
Family vacation turns into tragedy as horrific car crash kills couple and 15-year-old son
The authorities immediately launched an investigation into the matter and revealed that the victims were from the southwest Georgia city of Cairo, near the Florida state line. However, no details were released about the truck's driver. "We would like to remind drivers to remain vigilant and pay close attention to traffic signage, especially when traveling through unfamiliar areas," McGriff said. The extended family of the dead victims hopes to raise money to send the bodies back to Guatemala, said Ceser Orozco, who described himself as a "friend of the family," according to Fox News. The family has also set up a fundraiser to raise money for their funeral.
This traumatic car crash came amid a sudden rise in traffic fatalities in Alabama. According to a report by the Alabama Department of Transportation, the state’s fatal car accident rate is about 13.7 crash deaths per 100,000 people while the national rate is 7 per 100,000. The probability of a typical Alabama driver being in a crash of any severity during their lifetime is greater than 90 percent.
In another incident, three teenagers were killed and one was critically injured in a fiery crash in northern Alabama. The four crashed on Friday, 12, at around 1 a.m. in Cullman County when their vehicle lost control on a curve, struck a tree, and caught fire, Assistant Chief Adam Hadder said. Three of the teens, Dailan Jennings, Cayden Britt, and Evan Magana, were pronounced dead on the scene, and the fourth unidentified driver, who had been ejected from the car during the accident, was airlifted to a local hospital. “It’s rough when you see some kids that died in a car wreck,” Hadder said. “That’s hard on first responders, it’s hard on, of course, officers, the firemen, the paramedics, everyone that was there. That’s hard on everybody, but then we can’t imagine how hard it is on their families,” said Hadder.