Samuel Jacob Holmes,Taylor Willis Obituary, Death; – Federal authorities are conducting an investigation into a collision on I-485 in Mecklenburg County that resulted in the deaths of six individuals and left one other injured on Saturday.
The incident on July 26 occurred on the I-485 Outer loop close to Exit 9 leading to Wilkinson Boulevard.
According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, five of the deceased individuals, along with the one who sustained injuries, were traveling in a Chrysler van. The other fatality was in a Honda CR-V.
State troopers reported that the tragic accident transpired when the CR-V shifted from the middle lane to the right lane, colliding with the van. Following the impact, both vehicles veered off the right side of the roadway and struck a parked tractor-trailer.
Authorities identified 16-year-old Logan Paul Sauer as the driver of the CR-V.
The five individuals who perished in the van included:
27-year-old Samuel Jacob Holmes
23-year-old Taylor Willis
8-year-old Kamron Wood
3-year-old Addyson Holmes
1-year-old Brynlon Holmes
A 16-year-old girl who was in the van survived the incident but was transported to the hospital. The driver of the tractor-trailer remained unharmed.
Troopers indicated that no criminal charges are anticipated.
More than 48 hours following the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that it would be investigating the incident.
The NTSB shared this information via social media, stating that its investigation would proceed “in coordination with” the Highway Patrol.
Although the public typically associates the NTSB with aviation accidents, the agency possesses the authority to investigate various modes of transportation, including highway, railroad, and boating incidents.
Once the NTSB completes its investigation, a report will be made available. The timeline for this report remains uncertain; however, it is common for final reports to be released several months after the event.
Family Reactions to the Victims
Family members revealed that the five individuals in the van were en route to Carowinds when the accident occurred.
The father of 8-year-old Kamron Wood expressed that the loss of his son has left his life “completely turned upside down.”
Kamron’s grandfather described the crash as “like a big dream” that he wishes he could forget.
“We came back and it was hard to go in the house, because all of them live with us,” the grandfather said. Only a day earlier, the boy and his grandfather went to a Lamborghini dealer because he loved cars.
“It’ll always mean everything in the world to me,” Wood Sr. said. “He was our boy.” A fundraiser has been set up to help cover funeral expenses for the five people who died in the van. Anyone wishing to donate can do so here. As of this writing, nearly $11,000 had been raised.
A second fundraiser was also set up to help with funeral costs, as well as medical costs facing the 16-year-old crash survivor. That fundraiser had raised more than $21,000 as of the publishing date.
