Four Family Members Die In Tragic Accident Near Disney World

A car accident near Walt Disney World in Florida has claimed the lives of four family members. They died in the crash when the van they were traveling in was rear-ended by a pickup truck.

The eight family members were in a rental van traveling when a 2016 dodge pickup slammed into them from the back and sent the van to collide with two other cars.

The incident occurred on Tuesday at around 5.30 pm.

According to the police statement released, Julie Smith, 41, her daughter Scarlett Smith aged 5, and Josephine Fay, the grand-mom, 76, died at the scene of the crash.

11-year-old Jackson Smith was taken to the Orlando Regional Medical Center, but his injuries were too severe, and he died on Wednesday afternoon.

The other four family members in the van, namely Scarlett’s twin sibling, Skyler, who was 5, Shalie, 10, the father Shane Smith, 43, and grandpa William Fay, 76, suffered only minor injuries.

Florida Highway Patrol Lieutenant Kim Montes said investigators believed the family members in the van were wearing their seatbelt except for the father, who was driving.

Montes stated everyone was in shock because of the tragic death of the family members, especially the children.

The father, Shane, was driving on State Road 429 and slowed down for traffic when 26-year-old Lucas Dos Reis Laurindo in the pickup truck hit the van and caused it to overturn. Laurindo is from Kissimmee, Florida.

Montes said that even though blood tests would be done to check if Laurindo was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, it did not seem that impairment was the reason why the crash happened.

The Whitman Youth Soccer Association has organized a memorial vigil that is going to be on Friday at 7 pm at the school’s soccer field in remembrance of the four deceased family members.

Grandmother Josephine Fay and grandfather William Fay were faculty members at Quincy College, where Josephine had taught for close to twenty years.

Josephine Fay had worked in the Early Childhood Education Program at the school and had continued as an adjunct professor after she retired.

The school in a statement said that Josephine had been a gifted instructor, and she would be missed dearly by her colleagues and friends.

Some media outlets claimed the family was on a trip to Disney World at the time, but the information is yet to be confirmed.