Mom Who ‘Touched the Lives of Thousands' and Her 2 Sons Die in Fiery Chain-Reaction Crash
A mom and her two sons have died following a chain-reaction car crash on Interstate 40 and North Hollywood in Tennessee on May 31
Police tell PEOPLE the trio died at the scene of the five-car crash
The victims have been identified by Youth Villages as Tonya Cannady, their employee, and her two sons, Barry and ScottA mom and her two sons have died after a fiery crash on a Tennessee highway.
Five vehicles were involved in the fatal crash on Interstate 40 West and North Hollywood around 3:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, May 31, the Memphis Police Department said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
Officials said the first vehicle was traveling westbound on I-40 when it struck the rear of the second vehicle, causing a chain reaction crash, according to CBS affiliate WREG-TV.
Three people were pronounced dead at the scene, and a fourth was transported to St. Francis Bartlett in non-critical condition, police said.
Youth Villages, a nonprofit organization, has confirmed that its employee Tonya Cannady and her two sons, Barry and Scott, were killed in the crash, according to WREG-TV and FOX affiliate WHBQ-TV.
'Ms. Cannady was a wonderful part of our organization, celebrating 22 years with Youth Villages this year,' the nonprofit's statement read. 'She touched the lives of thousands over that time, including children and staff, most recently serving as our nutrition services manager for our West Tennessee residential locations.'
The organization continued, 'Our hearts go out to her family during this time. She will be missed by so many of us.'
Youth Villages did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
All lanes of traffic on I-40 and North Hollywood were blocked for several hours on Saturday following the crash, according to a post shared on X by the Memphis Police Department.
An Army reservist who witnessed the incident told WREG-TV he pulled over to help a woman break a window of a Jeep Grand Cherokee that was involved in the crash.
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He said he was able to "pull the driver out and unbuckle the passenger' as the cars 'went up in flames.' Another bystander handed him a fire extinguisher, and he 'tried to use that to put the fire out,' but to no avail.
Franchesca Roland, another witness, told WHBQ-TV that she and others raced to help Cannady after the crash. 'The passenger we did get out, we started performing CPR on her,' she explained.
'I just want to offer my condolences to the family,' the Army reservist told WREG-TV. 'I feel really bad for the family and all the loss they're going through in such a short amount of time.'
An investigation into the crash is ongoing, police tell PEOPLE.
Read the original article on People
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