A nightmare turned into reality in Alabama this Father’s Day weekend, when a Tennessee dad and his infant daughter were among the 10 people — nine of whom were children — killed in a tragic multi-vehicle collision.
Cody Fox, 29, and his nine-month-old daughter were identified in a press release issued Sunday night by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
The other victims in the accident were children ranging in age from just three years old to 17, all of whom were part of the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch, a home for neglected or abused school-age children.
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ALEA Secretary of Law Enforcement Hal Taylor said Saturday “was an extremely heartbreaking day for the state of Alabama as 10 lives were tragically lost in one horrific event” about 120 miles southeast of Camp Hill as heavy rain fell following a tropic depression coming in from Louisiana.
There were at least 18 vehicles — including two commercial rigs — involved in the incident, according to a report from CNN.
“It was a difficult and unimaginable scene for many,” he said, “and our thoughts and prayers are with all involved as we continue to investigate and provide closure to those affected.”
Taylor went on to offer his “sincerest condolences to the friends and families of loved ones lost in Saturday’s terrible crash, as well as my gratitude to all of the first responders and volunteers who quickly and valiantly responded to the scene.”
Immediately after the collision, the National Transportation Safety Board dispatched 10 investigators to the scene in Butler County to work alongside the Alabama Highway Patrol. The NTSB said its focus will be “on vehicle technologies such as forward collision warning systems, CMV fuel tank integrity, motor carrier operations, and occupant survivability.”
The director of the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch was the driver. While she survived the crash and is in “serious but stable condition,” she lost two of her own children in the ordeal.
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Michael Smith, CEO of the Alabama Sheriffs Youth Ranches, the nonprofit that oversees the girls ranch, credited the bystanders who pulled her from her vehicle with saving her life.
“Her life was saved,” he said, “and we’re so blessed with that. Unfortunately, we lost the other eight passengers.”
“We lost eight young people that can make a difference in our world,” Smith continued. “We lost eight young people that didn’t have a chance to have their own children. We lost eight young people that can’t break the cycle of where they’ve been and change it for their children. That’s a sad day.”
The victims in the crash were ages three, eight, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17. Two of the children were 16 years old, according to the ALEA.