Most of us are familiar with the Biblical warning: “Watch therefore, for you don’t know the day nor the hour.” But, how many of us really take the directive to heart?
For parents, life often moves at warp speed and the chaos that underscores daily survival can be overwhelming at times. So much so that most of us tend to lose sight of the big picture.
I am guilty as charged.
However, yesterday’s horrific accident in which seven members from a single family–spanning three generations–died when their SUV plummeted off a highway and landed in the Bronx Zoo, provided a much-needed wake-up call.
Sunday afternoon’s fatal crash took the life of 45-year-old Maria Gonzalez, a beloved mother, wife, daughter and sister, as well as her parents, Jacob Nunez, 85, and Ana Julia Martinez, 81, who were visiting from Dominican Republic; Gonzalez’s sister, Maria Nunez, 39; Gonzalez’s daughter, Jocelyn, 10; and her sister’s two daughters, Niely Rosario, 7, and Marly Rosario, 3.
Police say Gonzalez was driving a 2004 Honda Pilot southbound on the parkway in New York City when she lost control of the vehicle. According to reconstruction reports, Gonzalez was driving in the left lane when her vehicle veered and hit the center median. The family’s SUV then crossed three southbound lanes, hit the curb, and bounced over the guardrail, before plunging about 20 feet into a wooded area outside the zoo, away from animals and people.
Police estimate that Gonzalez’s vehicle was traveling at about 70 mph when it crashed. Officers also noted that the entire family was wearing seat belts. Unfortunately, the safety restraints were not enough to save the family.
According to reports, Gonzalez had just picked up her sister, parents and nieces, and was driving to her home in the Bronx, where extended family members were gathering for a party… then tragedy struck.
One can only imagine what took place in the vehicle before the accident occurred. It would stand to reason that the sisters were elated that their parents were in town and the entire clan was likely thrilled to be joining up with other family members to enjoy a festive reunion.
Then, in the blink of an eye, seven lives are snuffed out.
“Watch therefore, for you don’t know the day nor the hour.”
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