WYTHE COUNTY, Va. — Three members of a northwest Georgia family, including a 2-year-old boy, were killed in a head-on crash in Virginia last week.
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The crash happened on Interstate 81 southbound near Wytheville around 2:45 p.m. Friday.
There were seven members of the same family, who are from Tunnel Hill, Georgia, in the passenger van. Tunnel Hill is in Whitfield County.
According to the Virginia State Police, a 2017 Ford Transit E-350 passenger van rear-ended a tractor-trailer that was stopped in traffic.
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Mark Williams, 52, was ejected from the van and died at the scene. Brittany Puckett, 25, and a her 2-year-old son Matthew also died at the scene. Williams and Puckett were not wearing seat belts. Matthew was secured in a car seat.
The driver, 31-year-old Christina Williams, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Maryann Bracci, 18, was also seriously injured. Christina Williams and Bracci were both wearing seat belts. A 5-year-old girl was also taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Stacey Puckett, Brittany Puckett’s aunt, identified the 5-year-old as Luna Zuniga. She said the child is in critical condition and fighting for her life with a traumatic brain injury.
“Luna’s outcome was bad and they kept preparing us, saying she wasn’t going to survive. But she’s a fighter. She needs all the prayers,” Stacey Puckett said.
Stacey Puckett said Christina Williams is Puckett’s stepsister and Bracci is her younger sister.
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Puckett’s 7-year-old daughter was also taken to the hospital for minor injuries. Investigators said both of the children were in age-appropriate safety restraints.
The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured.
The Virginia State Police are still investigating the crash.
The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for funeral and medical expenses.
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