Married Teachers Die in Crash While Dropping Son Off at College, and Their 2 Younger Kids Barely Survive

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"These four incredible kids are facing an unimaginable loss,' a family member said
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Donald and Maria Nunney, who were teachers in Cleveland, died during a trip to North Carolina to drop off their son at college last week
Their two youngest children were seriously injured, too
'They're entire world has changed,' said Sgt. Tyler Tucker with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol
Two beloved teachers in Ohio died last week in a crash during a trip to North Carolina to drop off their oldest son at college, according to authorities and local news reports.
Their two younger children were seriously injured in the crash but survived.
On Friday, Aug. 15, around 1:18 p.m. local time, 55-year-old Donald Nunney was driving a Honda Odyssey going east on Interstate 40 near Chapel Hill when his vehicle "ran off the right side of the roadway ... [and] struck several small trees," a spokesperson for the North Carolina State Highway Patrol tells PEOPLE.
The minivan "traveled down an embankment and collided with a large tree," the spokesperson says. The crash remains under investigation; further details about what caused it were not available.
Both Nunney, 55, and his wife, 50-year-old Maria Galindo Nunney, who was sitting in the passenger seat, were killed.
A 9-year-old and a 15-year-old in the vehicle were hospitalized with serious injuries, the highway patrol spokesperson says.
The Galindo family identified them in a fundraiser as the Nunneys' son Leo and daughter, Lucia.
Investigators told CBS affiliate WOIO that the couple was in North Carolina to take their oldest son, later identified as 19-year-old Noah, to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They were close to the campus when witnesses saw the minivan crash.
The family was headed to lunch at the time of the crash, Maria's brother, Sandro Galindo, told CBS affiliate WNCN.
Noah was in a different vehicle and pulled over onto the side of the highway after the wreck, WOIO reported.
Sgt. Tyler Tucker with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol told the outlet that Noah stayed at his siblings' bedsides in the hospital to comfort them.
'They're entire world has changed,' he said to WOIO.
According to the GoFundMe donation page to support the family, which also includes an 18-year-old son, Diego, the two youngest children are 'healing from major trauma and injuries.'
Donald and Maria were both teachers at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, according to WOIO. Noah is a returning sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill.
'These four incredible kids are facing an unimaginable loss,' the GoFundMe's organizers wrote. 'As their family, we want to do everything we can to make sure their needs are cared for and their futures protected.'
The organizers described Maria and Donald as 'amazing and loving parents' and highlighted their devotion to their family and in class: 'They gave so much of themselves to their students and their community.'
Their deaths occurred not long before the first day of school at UNC, on Monday, Aug. 18.
Shari Obrenski, the president of the Cleveland Teachers Union, told WOIO that the school community is reeling.
'Their loss has hit everyone so hard that it is unimaginable for their family and their children," Obrenski said. "So shocking and heartbreaking and just devastating.'
As the family and members of the school mourn, loved ones say they are working to honor the 'legacy of community, family, and love' that Maria and Donald leave behind.
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'That legacy will live on through Noah, Diego, Lucia, and Leo, who carry forward the very best parts of who their parents were,' wrote the organizers of the GoFundMe, which has raised more than $128,000 as of Tuesday, Aug. 19.
Read the original article on People
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