According to the Virginia State Police, a 2017 Ford Transit E-350 passenger van rear-ended a tractor-trailer that was stopped in traffic.
There were seven members of the same family, who are from Tunnel Hill, Georgia, in the passenger van. Tunnel Hill is in Whitfield County.
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. 3 members of Georgia family killed, 5-year-old fighting for her life after Virginia crash
Because the bottom of a truck is higher than the bumper of passenger vehicles, when there is a collision the smaller vehicle easily slides under the truck and the first point of impact is the windshield. Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes —front, side, and rear — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.
See Underride Crash Memorials posted here and at #STOPunderrides Tweets. To add photos or more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to be remembered, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com. Please use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form to provide us with accurate information . (Note: the map is currently not online; but we would keep the information for future updating and to aid in underride advocacy efforts.)
Support improving Underride Protection on trailers: Contact your legislators with this User-Friendly TAKE ACTION online tool.
Please sign this petition: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underrides.
Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what could potentially be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.
