More than a month after a devastating crash in Palm Beach County that claimed the lives of nine members of a Connecticut family, tragedy has struck once again. Antoinette Edwards, a grieving family member, has been struggling to process the immense loss. “I’m numb.
I’m numb most of the time. People talk to me, I can’t focus,” she shared, reflecting on the overwhelming grief that has consumed her in the past six weeks. “This one is a shock. And the family is like, their heart can’t take it,” she added.
The horrific accident occurred on August 5 when the family’s SUV veered off the road and plunged into a canal near Belle Glade, Florida. The victims included 57-year-old Pamela Wiggins (the driver), 30-year-old Leiana Alyse Hall, 21-year-old Anyia Monique Lee Tucker, 14-year-old Michael Anthony Hall Jr., 8-year-old Imani Andre Ajani Hall, 5-year-olds Kamdien Edwards and Yasire Smith, 3-year-old Ziaire Mack, and 1-year-old Naleia Tucker, told NBC 6.
The only survivor was 26-year-old Jorden Hall, who, according to the family, desperately tried to rescue the others but was unable to save them. Among the victims was Antianette’s son, Kamdien Edwards-Raynor, her only child. Reflecting on the loss, she tearfully said, “He was funny. He was a daredevil even though he was small… I just laid in the bed, crying and crying until I fell asleep. And that was 6 in the morning. I cried myself to sleep.”
As Antoinette grappled with the heartbreak of losing her son and eight other family members, she received another devastating call. On September 10, her 42-year-old sister, Andrea Edwards, passed away, adding to the family’s already unimaginable grief. “We just lost nine. And then lose another one on top of that,” Antoinette said.
The family believes Andrea died from complications related to a seizure, but Antianette believes it was the result of a broken heart. Two of the nine crash victims were Andrea’s 21-year-old daughter, Anyia, and her one-year-old granddaughter, Naleia. “She said her heart was so broken… She didn’t know how to deal with the reality of it,” Antoinette recalled.
Now, after three funerals in just a few weeks, the family is preparing for a fourth. They have set up a GoFundMe to help cover the costs of Andrea’s funeral. “It’s too much. It’s too much,” Antoinette said, reflecting on the overwhelming burden of loss that her family continues to face.