A mother is recovering from serious injuries after an accident that killed her four daughters and husband; a truck crashed head-on into their minivan Friday as the New Jersey family was headed home from Virginia, investigators said.
Kaitlyn, 20; Danna, 17; twins Allison and Melissa, 13; and Audie Trinidad, who were not wearing their seat belts, were pronounced dead at the scene along Route 1 in Delaware, according to the Star-Ledger.
"I don't understand why these things happen," Daniel Trinidad, whose brother and four nieces died in the accident, told WCAU. "The whole family wiped out in the blink of an eye. I don't know how my sister-in-law will take this. She's the only one who survived."
A southbound traveling pickup truck crossed a median around 4 p.m. hitting a car in the northbound lane, causing it to spin out of control and stopping in the median, according to WPVI. The truck continued traveling south into northbound traffic and then hit the Trinidad's minivan head-on, according to WPVI.
Update: 4 kids and 1 adult killed in Rt. 1 crash #Delaware @6abc pic.twitter.com/rgbcc5ISBe
— Maggie Kent (@MaggieKent6abc) July 7, 2018
The cause of the crash is still being investigated, according to WCAU. Police have not determined if the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol and no charges have yet been filed, according to WPVI.
The driver of the truck was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and treated and released, according to WPVI.
The driver of the car was also treated and released from a hospital, according to WCAU.
Audie Trinidad spent six years in the Navy, according to the Star-Ledger. Mother Mary Rose, 53, works as a nurse. Kaitlyn had recently graduated from college, according to WPVI. Danna played volleyball and was going to be a senior in high school. Allison and Melissa, who were going to start high school, were going to try out for the volleyball team in a few weeks, the team coach told the Star-Ledger.
"It's certainly heartbreaking as you can imagine. Those of us that have families and children, I mean, I feel so bad for this family. I can't imagine what they're going through," Delaware State police Master Cpl. Melissa Jaffe told WCAU.
A GoFundMe account was setup to help Mary Rose Trinidad during her recovery.
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