56-year-old Rose Neal and her 2 sisters had a chance to go to Miami for enjoyment before travelling back home to take care for her sick 29-year-old son but the day trip took a tragic turn as the 3 sisters, 64-year-old Kay Ferril, 66-year-old Willie Morgane and Neal died early Sunday in a four-vehicle, chain-reaction accident that happened on Interstate 95 in Rockledge, near the exit leading to their homes in Rockledge and Cocoa, Fla.
According to a report released by Florida Highway Patrol investigators on Sunday, the 4rth passenger riding with the women, 66-year-old Barbara Thomas, sustained life-threatening injuries in the accident.
Harvey Neal said, “They were very close”. He came to know about the accident at about 4 a.m. when a Florida Highway Patrol trooper came to his home in Cocoa to inform him about the crash that occurred just south of the Fiske Boulevard exit.
Neal told about his wife, “She was a caring, stay-at-home mother and was taking care of my son who recently got a kidney transplant. My son is autistic and unable to care for himself. She was the only one who cared after him. She loved him. But she finally said she just wanted to get out. They were just coming back from this little gambling trip,” said Neal, who brought up 2 children with his wife.
The accident occurred in the northbound lane of Interstate 95. All the motor vehicles involved were going in the northbound lane.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol investigators, the 2008 Infiniti got out of control by the driver who was identified as 39-year-old Leonardo Alvarez-Savageau and the cause was not known; it hit a guardrail in the median on the darkened roadway. It was not immediately known whether the reason of the accidents is high speed.
Kim Montes, spokeswoman for the Florida Highway Patrol said, “It’s still early on in the investigation and there is a lot we don’t know right now”.
Alvarez-Savageau and his passengers, 26-year-old Mary Vanassee and 24-year-old Shayla Davis sustained serious injuries in the accident.
According to investigators, Vanassee, whose injuries were more serious, was listed in critical condition at a hospital in Melbourne. Vanassee and Davis both were wearing a seatbelt when the accident happened.
Within moments of the Infiniti’s collision with the guardrail, the front end of the Infiniti spun and crashed into the front of a 2007 Hyundai Elantra head on, due to which Ferril, the driver along with Morgane and Rose Neal died.
After a few seconds, a third car, which was a 2012 Toyota Camry driven by 25-year-old George Cornejo, crashed into the back of a Hyundai.
A 4th vehicle, a 2008 Honda Accord driven by 22-year-old Dimitri Vincent then hit the debris from the first 3 vehicles before coming to a rest.
Cornejo and Vincent didn’t sustain life-threatening injuries.
Troopers spent the remaining hours talking to witnesses and gathering proof related to the accident.
Montes said, “All three of the fatalities were sisters. Right now, we still are not sure if they died from the impact of the first crash or the collision from behind.”
Harvey Neal told that the news about his wife and her sisters was devastating. The 2 had been married since 1983 and lived in Cocoa. He said Morgane was retired from Kennedy Space Center. His focus now, he said, was working to find assistance for his son. He added, “She loved him to death. She was with him every day”.
Florida Highway Patrol told that charges are still pending.
News Source: www.USAToday.com