JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Alexandrea Touissant, 32 years old and a mother of three, was killed in a crash Thursday on I-295 southbound, her family told News4JAX.
Touissant’s parents want to spread the word about their daughter, who they said is gone too soon after her car collided with a tractor-trailer on I-295 near Blanding Boulevard.
Troopers said the semi was traveling at a reduced speed due to heavy traffic.
“We had a knock at the door,” said Legina Touissant, Alexandrea’s mother. “It was the state troopers. And that’s when we confirmed. We had a gut feeling it was her. But they confirmed for us that it was our daughter, which we still don’t believe to this day. We have not identified the body or seen the body, but she’s like a clock. If she’s not there at this time. It’s her. Something’s wrong.”
Alexandrea Touissant was a teacher at Tender Loving Care Learning Center in Jacksonville. Her parents said her three children usually went with her to work every morning, but on the morning of the crash, they were at home with their father.
“The center is the day care. She was en route to go to work. She had to be there 8 o’clock,” Legina Toussaint said.
She said the family knew something was wrong when Alexandrea didn’t answer her phone.
“Her husband was home with the kids because he was sick,” she said. “And when the school started calling him to say, ‘Hey, where (is) she? (Is she) coming into work?’ He already had a feeling that was wrong because she (would) never not answer.”
Alexandrea’s mother explained what she heard about the crash from state troopers.
“She waited about 30 seconds too late,” Legina Toussaint said. “The state Highway Patrol told us that she did everything she could possibly to try to stop. She swung it to the left. She tried to hit the semi from the side. But when she swung it to the left, (she) hit the wall (and was) thrown back into the truck.”
Legina Toussaint raved about her beloved daughter.
“She’s the most remarkable person I’ve ever known,” she said. “She called us every day. ‘Are you OK? Do you need anything?’ She drives from Jacksonville at the drop of a dime. And we never ever expected to be burying her before she buried us.”
The parents are now missing those daily phone calls after their phone calls on Thursday were never answered.
“You always have the question of, ‘Why her?” Legina Toussaint said. “Why not us? We’ve lived our lives. She’s got three beautiful children that need her.”
Alexandrea’s children are ages 6, 3 and 1. Her family shared some videos of the children with their mother with News4JAX.
“Alexandrea you may not be able to hear us, but mommy and daddy love you so much,” her grieving mother said.
Alexander Toussaint, Alexandrea’s father, was at a loss for words.
“I don’t understand it at all,” he said.
If you would like to help the family in any way, a GoFundMe account has been set up.