Two young lives, and that of their grandmother, were cut short because of a reckless driver who was reported to have been reading text messages at the time of the crash.
What was supposed to be a day of fun for the Newville family turned into a tragedy.
It was back in 2017 when Linda irie, 50, was taking her three grandchildren five-year-old Jace Newville, nine-year-old Brooklynn Newville, and their cousin Isabella Anthony, 6, for a ride to pick a lamb for their Easter photoshoot. Unfortunately, as she was driving down the Turner Turnpike near Wellston, Oklahoma, they were rear ended by a 17-year-old man, who forced Irie’s car to collide with two other vehicles.
Irie, Jace, and Brooklynn were pronounced dead at the scene. Isabella was the only survivor.
Brian and Shaneé Newville, the killed children’s parents, were inconsolable. Their world shattered in a million pieces and moving on was never an option, not even today, seven years after the tragic crash.
“We’ve had to move a couple times, can’t really walk into the house anymore, see where the kids used to be,” said Brian said.
Shaneé, who’s since separated from Brian, shared an emotional Facebook post: “Being alive is hard. I wake up and cry, take a shower and cry, put on my make up and cry.” Shaneé, who also lost her mom in the crash, continued, “The people who loved me the most are gone. It feels like god took them on vacation with Mima. But it isn’t the truth, they are never coming back.”
Months following Jace and Brooklynn’s passing, their parents finally gathered the strength to go through their stuff when they stumbled upon Brooklynn’s bucket list, covering a large range of things she dreamed to see and do.
There were plenty of things written down such as seeing a moose, scuba diving, getting a drone, visiting an ice bar in Alaska and seeing the Golden Gate Bridge.
“She always wanted to go hunting with me,” Brian, unable to stop tears from running down his face, said. “Never got a chance to.”
At the time, the parents said they would do all it takes to live out Brookie’s dreams for her.
A year after the tragic accident, Noah DeDear, of Durango, Colorado, was charged with three counts of manslaughter after he was accused of causing the crash that killed Irie and her two grandchildren.
At the time he caused the crash, DeDear was days away fro his 18th birthday and is facing trial as an adult.
He denied reading text messages on his phone at the time of the incident, but confessed he was texting his grandma and his girlfriend moments before.
Brian, furious with the constant delays of the trial, told News 4 in 2019, “This doesn’t make any sense. Why somebody can kill three innocent lives, two children and a grandmother, and still be allowed to walk free, while the family is sitting here in pain, agony, wanting closure and we can’t get it.”
Finally, in 2021, a selection of jury was made, the family announced.
They wish no one ever experience the pain of losing a child and are urging drivers to never use their phones while driving by setting up a campaign “Put it Down.”
“We are putting out our campaign, Put it Down, so people will put their phones down,” Brian said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s your phone, or food, it’s anything in the car, while you’re driving: Put it down.”
We are so sorry for the loss of these two beautiful souls and their grandma. May they rest in peace.
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Love and Peace
