Nine children and one adult die in a car accident in Alabama 3:20
(CNN) -
A Tennessee father and his young daughter were among 10 people, nine of whom were girls, who were killed in a gruesome multi-vehicle accident on an Alabama highway this weekend.
Cody Fox, 29, of New Hope, Tennessee, and his nine-month-old daughter were identified in a press release issued by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) Sunday night.
The other victims of the accident were girls between the ages of three and 17 who were traveling in a vehicle belonging to a ranch for abandoned or abused school-age children, authorities said.
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The accident occurred about 120 miles southwest of Camp Hill, Alabama, where the ranch is located.
"Yesterday was an extremely heartbreaking day for the state of Alabama as 10 lives were tragically lost in a horrific event," ALEA Law Enforcement Secretary Hal Taylor said in the statement.
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«It was a difficult and unimaginable scene for many.
Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved as we continue to investigate and provide closure to those affected, "he added.
Witness describes what happened after the terrible accident that left 9 girls and 1 adult dead in Alabama
9 children and one adult were killed in a multiple accident on Alabama road
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) dispatched ten investigators to the scene in Butler County to work in coordination with the Alabama Highway Patrol, the agency said.
The "investigation will focus on vehicle technologies such as forward collision warning systems, CMV fuel tank integrity, motor carrier operations and occupant survivability," according to the NTSB.
Multiple vehicles involved in an accident
Heavy rains fell in the southeast on Saturday after a tropical depression that had become known as Tropical Storm Claudette made landfall in southeast Louisiana early that morning.
The fatal accident occurred as storms hit Alabama, according to Butler County Coroner Wayne Garlock.
Witness describes what happened after the terrible accident that left 9 girls and 1 adult dead in Alabama
At least 17 vehicles, including two commercial vehicles, were involved in the incident on I-65 northbound at mile marker 138, according to the ALEA statement.
ALEA's Taylor said investigations like this are the hardest part of the agency's job.
“I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the friends and family of loved ones lost in the terrible accident on Saturday.
Also my gratitude to all the first responders and volunteers who responded quickly and courageously to the scene, "said Taylor.
Victims of the Home for Abandoned and Abused Children
Of the nine children who died in the accident, eight were in a vehicle from the Tallapoosa County girls' ranch, according to Garlock.
The ranch provides a home for abandoned or abused school-age girls, according to Alabama Sheriffs Youth Ranches, the nonprofit that runs the ranch and others across the state.
The ranch manager was the driver of the truck and survived, according to Youth Ranches CEO Michael Smith, but she lost two children in the accident, she told CNN.
The director is in the hospital "in serious but stable condition," Smith said.
At least 17 vehicles were involved in the accident
She was likely saved by bystanders who pulled her from the vehicle while she was unconscious and trapped inside, Smith said.
"His life was saved and we are very blessed with that," he said.
"Unfortunately, we lost the other eight passengers."
“We lost eight young people who can make a difference in our world.
We lost eight young people who did not have the opportunity to have children of their own, eight young people who cannot break the cycle of where they have been and change it for their children, "said Smith.
"That is a sad day."
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The victims were 3, 8, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 years old, according to ALEA, and two of the victims were 16 years old.
The children's names have not been released.
Vigils for children
Although the names were not made public, many people attended a vigil to pay their respects to the lost children on Sunday night.
The organization, religious leaders and the local community gathered at Reeltown High School to offer support, Principal Clifton Maddox told CNN.
The atmosphere in the gym-turned-counseling center was heavy, with several people crying and many shocked by the news of the incident.
Maddox told CNN that the school was opened to "show families and students that they are not alone."
Four high school students attending his school were killed in the incident, he said, though he declined to identify them, citing the students' privacy.
Witness describes the fiery scene of the accident
CNN producer Lacey Willis was caught in the crash as she returned to Atlanta from a family trip to the beach in Destin, Florida with her husband and 6-month-old daughter.
He said the weather had been bad about an hour before the accident.
At the time of the accident "it wasn't a downpour," but there was still a lot of water on the road, Willis told CNN.
Willis was in the back seat of the car with his daughter when he felt an impact, he said.
Their car had hit a railing, activating the airbags and sending them into the grass in the median.
He grabbed his daughter and started to walk away from the accident when he noticed that the vehicles had started to catch fire.
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"I'm barefoot, standing on I-65, walking, walking far enough," she said.
"I was just praying."
Her husband began helping other victims involved in the multi-vehicle accident, pulling a family, a man, a woman and their two children, from a truck that had rolled over onto its side, she said.
Help request
People started calling someone to call 911 and a shirtless man yelled for the nurses and doctors for help.
No one knew which mile marker was nearby, Willis explained.
Willis and his family were trapped at the scene for five hours.
Some people got stuck on the side of the road because their cars were on fire, he said.
Willis said she was "very grateful" that her family was able to "get away" but acknowledged that "there is a small aspect of guilt."
"The lives of those families have changed forever and I hope that somehow people will find a way to be well," he said.
Because this was tragic for many people.
We are very, very lucky.
CNN's Keith Allen, Hollie Silverman, Chuck Johnston, and Deanna Hackney contributed to this report from Atlanta, with Greg Clary in Washington, DC, and Martin Savidge and Devon Sayers reporting from Camp Hill, Alabama.
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