A New York City corrections officer and her husband lost their two young children in a horrific traffic accident during a family trip in Ohio, authorities said.
The Crumpton family was on Interstate 76 in Youngstown, Ohio Thursday, starting the 400-mile journey back to Queens when the father lost control of the SUV, which then rolled and slammed into an 18-wheeler, Ohio authorities said.
Seven-year-old Pedro and 2-year-old Paris Crumpton were thrown from the Chevy Trailblazer and killed. Father Rashon Crumpton, 38, and mother Shakia Crumpton, 36, survived, though they suffered critical injuries.
As the news spread to friends and family in New York, relatives set up a small sidewalk memorial in Bushwick. At the family's house in Ridgewood, Queens, neighbors were startled to hear the devastating news.
"Every day, they would run around and play. You could hear them, and they were really happy children," said neighbor Jackie Lulu, who had grown used to the happy sounds of Paris and Pedro playing upstairs.
Another neighbor, Rosalina Vega, said, "It's very sad because now it's very quiet... I am shocked."
It's unclear what Shakia and Rashon Crumpton have learned about the loss as they recover from their injuries in Ohio.
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Officials in Ohio were still investigating the crash.
