‘A hole that will never be filled’: Family of Kearney crash victims speaks
WATSON, Mo. (KCTV) - The family of several victims in a fatal Sunday morning crash near the Iowa-Missouri border have spoken for the first time.
The crash killed 18-year-old Lucy Yeates and her friend Kole Cunningham. It also seriously injured Lucy’s twin sister Aubrey, who was airlifted to a Nebraska hospital where the Yeates family said she continues to recover from multiple traumatic injuries.
“This incredibly senseless and tragic event has left our families with a hole that will never be filled,” the Yeates family said in a statement released Tuesday night. “We thank our friends, family, and community for their , love, and prayers as we come together to help Aubrey recover from this horrific experience.”
Authorities said the crash was the result of a police pursuit that led a 29-year-old Nebraska man to drive southbound on the northbound lanes of I-29. A woman had told the Fremont County (Iowa) Sheriff’s Department that she and her 1-year-old child had been kidnapped by a man.
READ MORE: Crash that killed 2 Kearney teens in northwest Missouri stemmed from kidnapping, police chase
After the man dropped the woman at a hospital, he was pursued by police and eventually crashed into the vehicle with Lucy, Aubrey, and Cunningham. All three 18-year-olds were recent graduates of Kearney High School and were on their way to Omaha for a Billie Eilish concert.
“Lucy was a beautiful 18-year-old attending her first year of college. She was interested in business and leadership,” the family said. “Aubrey is a dynamic young lady who is also attending college. While this unexpected journey is sidetracking her, we look forward to ing her every day as she heals.”
Eilish commented on a social media post sharing the GoFundMe, saying “sending so much love to the families. so heartbreaking.”
The man’s 1-year-old enger was moderately injured.
A GoFundMe to aid in Aubrey’s recovery has been set up by the Yeates family while the Cunningham family started another meal fundraising campaign.
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