DETROIT – Family members spoke about their devastating loss after a crash Monday, Oct. 2, along the Lodge Freeway.
The crash happened when a driver slammed into the back of a box truck that was stopped with part of it sticking out into the freeway.
Chauntal Perry was killed, and one other adult and three children were injured.
The family described the 32-year-old as a firecracker, a mother and wife. Later this month, Perry was to celebrate 12 years with her husband.
“She was really like the happiest, the most joyous. She would help anybody,” said Lamesha Bolton, Perry’s husband’s cousin.
“You don’t find too many people like her,” said Dakota Mulkey, Perry’s cousin.
The two were close -- and their birthdays were just a day apart.
“We’ve been together since in a crib, baby bottles in a crib. I call her my right-hand man,” Mulkey said.
A male cousin and Perry’s three children ranging from 14 to seven years old were in the car too. The family believes that the children will recover from their injuries but they fear the impact of the loss.
“Emotionally, mentally, it’s going to haunt them and it’s going to be rough for the rest of their life because it’s nothing like a mother’s love,” said Mulkey. “And they just need a lot of support and a village to help them keep going.”
“We’re just asking for prayers, asking for support, the continued support for her children because they don’t have a mother anymore and we all have a long road ahead of us it’s going to be long and hard,” said Bolton.
To help Chauntal Perry’s husband and children during this tough time, you can donate to their GoFundMe account here.