FREEDOM, NY (WKBW) — Neighbors in the Cattaraugus County Town of Freedom are now trying to make sense of a horrific head-on crash that happened Saturday on a stretch of Freedom Road that killed three.
“It’s a terrible, terrible tragedy, especially with the little girls. You know — it's heartbreaking,” declared Nancy Singler, Freedom resident.
State Police say an investigation has determined a Dodge Ram Truck, driven by 21-year-old Evan Klink, crossed the center line and struck an on-coming Ford Focus driven by 24-year-old Dahlia Klink.
But for people I spoke with, what is so difficult to comprehend is the two drivers involved were brother and sister.
“When I heard it was brother and sister — that hit. I couldn't believe it,” reflected Sue Fish, Freedom resident. “How's the driver of the truck going to live with himself now and the rest of the family?”
Dahlia Klink and her five-year-old passenger were taken by Mercy Flight with serious injuries. But Klink died of her injuries Sunday.
Two other passengers in her car. 17-year-old Havana Lopez and six-year-old Molly Kibler, died at the scene.
Kibler's grandfather set up a gofundme page for funeral expenses, but also for the medical expense of his other granddaughter who is in critical condition.
Lopez’s mother set up this gofundme for her daughter also to help cover funeral expenses.
A gofundme is also postedto donate support for the funeral expenses of Dahlia Klink.
A friend of Dahlia Klink issued this letter from the family:
"Dahlia was an amazing mom, she never spent more than a day apart from her girls, she loved them with all she had, she had a contagious smile and the biggest heart, the love Dahlia and Ryan shared was like no other, they gave life to two amazing little girls Molly and Letti. Molly was a little ball of sunshine, she could make anyone’s day better just by looking at her and seeing her little smirk she always had, she loved her little sister and her cousins more than anything in the world, they were all best friends. They will both be missed so much and they are both very loved."
“It was pretty scary. I couldn't imagine that happening to me,” remarked Shingler.
Shingler and Fish live up the road from where the crash happened. Both heard emergency crews responding.
“I still feel terrible, but I didn't know them. I didn't know any of them. It’s just awful - you just can't forget it,” noted Fish.
Schingler said she knows a family member of the brother and sister.
The 21-year-old brother was treated for injuries and evaluated by state police drug recognition experts. The passenger in his vehicle, 19-year-old Cameron Klink, suffered serious injuries.
State Police Trooper James O'Callahan tells 7 News the driver of the truck only had a driving permit and was not operating the vehicle with a licensed driver as required by law. An investigation into the exact cause of why the vehicle crossed over the double yellow line is still underway.
Shingler and Fish said although there isn’t a reason given as to why the driver crossed the roadway, they worry too many are speeding down the road.
“You just hear them flying by and basically wait for a crash. You know they are over the speed limit,” Fish noted.
The speed limit in the stretch of road where the crash occurred is 55 miles per hour.
Residents tell me this tragedy hasn't fully set in, but they expect the community to rally together.
