Family, friends mourn 3 from Fishers killed in South Carolina crash
FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — The Fishers community is coming together after three of their own died in a hit-and-run crash.
People in the community say they’re heartbroken over the loss of the three teens who died too soon.
“A parent should never have to bury their child,” said Chaz Sheffer, of Indianapolis.
On Monday, 17-year-old twin sisters Elleana and Isabella Gaddis, and Brianna Foster, 18, died in a hit-and-run crash in South Carolina.
Friends of the victims on Tuesday mourned the loss and thought about the teens’ families.
“To lose anybody is hard, but to lose a child is very, very, difficult,” said Jay Angst, a Fishers resident.
“It’s hard to put into words to lose somebody, three people, three young ladies to a senseless act,” Angst added.
Police in South Carolina say Melissa Ann Parker, 43, was driving a Hummer westbound in an eastbound lane and hit the car with the teenagers inside head-on. Police say that after the crash, Parker fled on foot but was quickly stopped.
The twin sisters were students at Hamilton Southeastern High School and their friend had graduated from the school this spring. Police say a fourth person in the car with them survived the crash; that person has not been identified by authorities.
Chaz Sheffer says his mom is good friends with Elleana and Isabella’s mom, Amie. Sheffer said, “My heart goes out to her. My mom was with her yesterday and is going there again after work so I just hope that she’s doing OK and wishing the best and the other family as well.”
Sheffer also said, “Something that definitely helps is a sense of community around you a sense of people that you can depend on and knowing that people are there for you and that you’re not alone.”
On Tuesday, people made a long line around Jack’s Donuts of Fishers. The business was donating all of its sales to the families. Within a few hours the business quickly sold out and people kept showing up after they closed.
Jack’s Donuts raised about $6,000 for the Gaddis and Foster families.
Hamilton Southeastern Schools says it’s planning to do a balloon release for the girls at Tailgate Town around 6:15 p.m. Friday. The school district based in Fishers also wants the parents to be their honorary flip guests.
A GoFundMe page was created to help the Gaddis family cover funeral expenses and their bills for the next few months. In less than a day, the community helped raise more than $67,000.
Another GoFundMe page was created to help the Foster family, and more than $20,000 has been donated.