JACKSONVILLE, Fla – A mother is in mourning after her fiancé and young daughter died in a tragic crash early Sunday morning.
Miranda Prater, her fiancé Sean Tumlin and their five children were painting pumpkins Saturday night into early Sunday morning when they decided to go to the store on a candy run.
It’s something they did often, according to Prater. Tumlin loaded up two of their daughters, 3-year-old Harlen Grace Tumlin and 8-year-old Susan Wright, into the car while the rest of the family stayed at home.
As Tumlin was driving the family’s gray Cadillac SUV west on Clark Road over the I-95 overpass, the vehicle swerved into the eastbound lanes, hit a guardrail, and then plummeted into the southbound lanes of 95, flipping several times before coming to a stop.
Sean Tumlin, 31, was ejected and died at the scene of the crash. Harlen Grace and Susan were rushed to the hospital, but Harlen didn’t survive.
RELATED: 2 killed, 1 injured after vehicle crashes through railing onto I-95
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said Susan had critical injuries, but Prater said Susan is OK. She has seatbelt lacerations and a minor fracture, but is otherwise OK “because Daddy buckled me up,” the 8-year-old told her mother.
Prater is heartbroken.
“People keep telling me ‘I’m so sorry.’ and ‘I’m sorry for your loss,’ but it doesn’t help. I just want them back,” she said, crying.
Posted by Miranda Prater on Monday, October 11, 2021
The cause of the crash is still under investigation. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office asked for the public to keep the family in its prayers.
In the meantime, Prater is planning the memorials for her fiancé and daughter. If you want to help the family, a GoFundMe was made to help with funeral expenses. A private service will be held on Saturday, October 23 at 11 a.m.
The deaths of the 31-year-old and 3-year-old mark the 169th and 170th traffic deaths in Duval County in 2021.