Family mourns mother and daughters killed in deadly Kaufman County crash
Three lives lost in an instant: a mother and her two daughters who were killed late Sunday in Kaufman County after an 18-wheeler slammed into their car. The crash happened on a bridge along U.S. 80 near Windmill Farms Boulevard.
Family members identified the victims as 38-year-old Va'Necia Williams and her daughters, 14-year-old Sa'Niah Davis and 9-year-old A'veonia Davis.
"It hurts, though, it hurts," said Celissa Williams, a cousin. "It's hard trying to find strength when dealing with this not only one but three, these babies, our babies. We're in a whirlwind of emotions. It's a lot. Those are our babies, first daughter, first grandchild, our first friend… we've never had a loss like this."
How the 18-wheeler crash happened, according to DPS
The Texas Department of Public Safety said the family's 2013 Hyundai was disabled and had stopped in the right lane when it was rear-ended by a semi-truck. Investigators said the impact sent the family's car over the bridge's concrete railing. Va'Necia Williams' mother, VaNessa Williams, said Va'Necia and her daughters had just moved to Forney a few months ago.
"They were late-night foodies. They like to eat and watch movies, so more than likely they were just going out for a bite to eat," said Celissa Williams.
According to information displayed on the truck, the 18-wheeler appears to be operated by an Illinois-based company, Truckline Solutions. CBS News Texas reached out to the company for comment, but it did not respond.
A Texas DPS spokesperson said it's still too early to tell whether speed, alcohol, or a medical emergency were factors in the crash.
"Whenever there is a commercial vehicle involved, we contact our commercial vehicle enforcement troopers, and what they do is they do a full inspection of that commercial vehicle," said Juan Gutierrez, the Texas DPS public information officer. "What that entails is looking at the tires, brakes, logbooks to see if they're within their driving hours and all that comes along with commercial vehicles."
Family shares memories of mother and daughters
Celissa Williams said Va'Necia Williams was funny, a leader of the family who gave the biggest gifts on Christmas. Sa'Niah was a gamer who was just getting into basketball, and A'veonia was a firecracker who enjoyed making TikTok videos and dancing.
Tonight, VaNessa Williams is holding on to her faith as she grieves the loss of her daughter and granddaughters.
"Just love on your loved ones," she said. "We don't know the time or hour, just got to love on your loved ones. It's in God's hands; my babies are with God."
Texas DPS said the investigation is ongoing. The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help with funeral expenses.
