(WBZ NewsRadio) — Four family members from Massachusetts were killed in a crash near Walt Disney World in Florida Tuesday evening.
The crash happened on Route 429 in Kissimmee, Florida when their van was rear-ended by a pickup truck.
A Whitman mother, Julie Smith, 41, her 5-year-old daughter, Scarlett, and her 11-year-old son, Jaxon, were killed in the crash, along with their grandmother, Josephine Fay, 76, from Weymouth.
Jaxon was listed in critical condition after the crash, and died later Wednesday, WBZ-TV reports.
(Fay Family Photo)
Florida Highway Patrol Lt. told WBZ NewsRadio that "giving the news is just tragic that a family here lost everything as they were here on vacation."
"This is one of the most horrible things that a law enforcement officer has to do," Montes said. "We brought our victim advocate in. We had support teams come in due to the significance of the crash and the number of family members lost. We were there to support whatever they need."
Authorities said eight people were inside the seven-person van in total, including the 5-year-old girl's twin sister and her 10-year-old sister. Both the sisters were unharmed.
The father, who was driving the van, and the grandfather both had minor injuries.
The pickup truck also struck two other cars in the crash. The drivers of those cars sustained minor injuries.
Police said the the truck driver will be charged, but it is currently unclear what those charges will be.
A statement from Whitman-Hanson Regional School District said Jackson Smith was a sixth-grade student in the school system.
Whitman-Hanson Regional School Superintendent Jeffrey Szymaniak said that, when the news went out to school administrators Wednesday morning, it was a shock.
"It's awful, it really is, and I think we'll go through that hour by hour, day by day as a district," Szymaniak said. "I think the family should be in our thoughts and prayers, and as a community, we mourn for them."
Szymaniak said the district is now preparing to mobilize teams within the schools to deal with the crisis.
"We have counseling staff available in our schools, the schools that were affected, that will be in place for students who are friends, family members, and any community members that were connected with this tragedy," he said.
WBZ NewsRadio's Laurie Kirby (@LaurieWBZ) spoke with Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Kim Montes:
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