1-year-old twins and grandfather struck by car and killed while walking along road in Kentucky

A car slammed into a family walking along the side of a Florence, Kentucky, road on Sunday, killing a man and his 13-month-old twin grandchildren. Charles Napier, 49, was killed, as were infants Sean and Samantha May. All were pronounced dead at the scene.

The family was walking home on Weaver Road from lunch at a pizza restaurant. Napier was pulling the twins in a wagon. The children’s aunt, Susan Elam, was pulling an older brother, Ethan May, in another wagon. The road has no sidewalk, but the family was off on the shoulder. According to investigators, a Chevy Malibu driven by a 22-year-old woman veered off the road and hit the group. Ethan and Elam were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The stretch of road where the fatal accident occurred has been the site of 112 crashes since 2011. The speed limit is 55 mph, although a few hundred feet later it drops to 45. Neighbors say it is too fast, especially with no sidewalks or guardrails. Upgrades are scheduled for this segment of roadway, but the plans do not include adding sidewalks.

Several 911 calls came in when the accident occurred, the first coming from Elam, who screamed for over seven seconds before being able to talk to the dispatcher. She screamed that her nephew had been hit and “everybody got hit.” After describing where the accident had happened she screamed for help. Another women eventually took the phone and explained to the dispatcher what had happened.

Four people were inside the Malibu. No charges have been filed against the driver, but an investigation is ongoing. Florence police say that, according to standard procedures, they have taken the driver’s phone to determine whether the woman may have been distracted at the time of the accident.

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