Caring parents killed and young children severely hurt in horror crash while driving eldest son to college
At around 1.20pm on Friday, Maria Nunney, 50, and 55-year-old Donald Nunney, who had been driving, both died after their car veered off the road and smashed into a tree in North Carolina.
The couple, who had been longtime teachers in Cleveland, were driving with two of their children, 15-year-old Lucia and 9-year-old Leo, to drop off their eldest son, Noah, 19, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Noah was following in a car behind them and watched the horror unfold in front of him.
Both of their youngest children survived the devastating crash but are in hospital recovering from severe injuries and 'major trauma,' a GoFundMe for the Nunney family said.
Noah had been driving behind the car and pulled over after it crashed into a wooded area as emergency crews rushed to his family.
Maria Nunney tragically died at the scene of the accident, 19 News reported. Donald, however, was airlifted to a hospital in Chapel Hill where he later succumbed to his injuries, State Troopers said.
The cause of the crash remains unclear and the investigation remains ongoing.
'It's hard to say what caused it. No other vehicles were involved, so there will be no charges,' North Carolina State Highway Patrol Sgt. Tyler Tucker told CBS 17.
'They were just incredible teachers, loving and attentive and committed parents,' Cleveland Teachers Union President Shari Obrenski told the outlet.
'They active in the community. Their loss has hit everyone so hard that it is unimaginable for their family and their children. So shocking and heartbreaking and just devastating.'
Noah is sat beside his siblings in hospital while the young family's 'entire world has changed,' Tucker told 19 News.
Both children are expected to make a full recovery.
Principal Lennox Thompson of Joseph M. Gallagher School, where Donald Nunney was a language arts teacher, said in a statement obtained by WCNC: 'With a heavy heart I regret to inform you that Mr. Don Nunney and his wife passed away yesterday afternoon around 1:30 PM. He and his family got into a single-car accident in North Carolina after dropping off their son Noah to college.'
'We have been informed that 2 of his children were with them - that they were rushed to IC but are stable and will be fine. Don had been a teacher at Gallagher since 1994, servicing generations and generations of families in the community for almost 30 years, and our heart goes out to his family; his wife was a teacher in the District as well at Wilbur Wright,' the statement continued.
'They both were well know in Cleveland, in their own community and moreover, well respected and will be missed...This tragedy has hit home at school but the impact on their family - on their children - that is life altering.'
'Maria and Donald were more than amazing and loving parents,' the GoFundMe, created by Georgina and Sandro Galindo, said.
The cause of the crash remains unclear and the investigation remains ongoing
'They were also a devoted son and daughter, siblings, caring teachers and friends. They gave so much of themselves to their students and their community.'
The fundraised money, which reached more than $130,500 as of Tuesday morning, is set to help the Nunney's four children and help lay the couple to rest.
'Maria and Donald leave behind a legacy of community, family, and love, all rooted in the devotion they had for their children and their family. That legacy will live on through Noah, Diego, Lucia, and Leo, who carry forward the very best parts of who their parents were,' the Galindo's wrote.
A friend wrote on Facebook that the pair 'blessed everyone they met.'
'The loss of these two is a loss to the world, but their kids are their greatest legacy,' they said.
Another close friend described them as 'the most caring, selfless, and kindhearted souls.'
'Their love for everyone, especially their children, is truly unmatched,' they added.
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