OSCEOLA TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A grieving family is speaking out Thursday after their loved ones were killed Tuesday in a fiery crash that left five dead and three injured in Livingston County.
Officials said neither driver involved in the crash should have been behind the wheel. Matthew Carrier, 23, of Fenton, is accused of speeding through a stop sign. The state suspended his driver's license in December.
Albert Boswell, 39, of Oakland County, was driving the car that was hit on M-59 at Argentine Road. He was driving with an expired license, officials said.
READ: Both drivers involved in Livingston County crash that killed 5 had invalid driver's licenses
Both men are in the University of Michigan Medical Center. Carrier is listed as stable, and Boswell is still in critical condition.
Candice Lynn Dunn, 35, of Oakland County; her mother, Linda K. Hurley, 69, of Macomb County; and her mother's boyfriend, Jerome Joseph Tortomasi, 73, of Macomb County, were killed in the crash. Their family is speaking out for the first time.
Michelle Ruatto and her sister, Dunn, were planning their mother's 70th birthday party for Saturday. Ruatto and Jerome Tortormassi were planning Dunn's surprise birthday party next week, but now Ruatto has to plan a funeral.
"We're just heartbroken," Ruatto said. "My sister. My only sister. My mom. Jerry, her boyfriend."
MORE: Man accused of causing Livingston County crash that killed 5 has checkered driving history
Ruatto and her husband spend Thursday making funeral arrangements for Dunn, Hurley and Tortomasi. Their funerals will be held at the same time in the same church.
Ruatto's family ventured to Lansing Tuesday night to watch Dunn receive the probation agent of the year award.
"I watched them get in the car, gave her a big hug and a kiss and told her how proud of her I was, and we pulled out of the parking lot," Ruatto said. "We took different ways home, and I don't know why they went the way they did."
Ruatto didn't find out about the crash until Wednesday morning, when state police tracked her down at work. She echoed the constant refrain about how beloved Dunn was. She said it was her widowed mother's guidance that made it all possible.
"She raised us," Ruatto said. "She was a hard worker. She put a lot of time into her career. She always taught us to stand strong."
Hurley and Tortomasi played cards with friends and went dancing often, and they did a lot of traveling. They'd just returned from a trip to Florida.
Ruatto said their passing leaves a huge hole in her life.
The viewing will be at Wujek-Calcaterra & Sons Funeral Home at 54880 Van Dyke Ave, Shelby Twp, MI 48316 from 3-9 p.m. Monday to 1-9 p.m. Tuesday.
The funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at Immanuel Lutheran Church at 47120 Romeo Plank Rd, Macomb, MI 48044.