Residents of a town in Alabama are devastated after witnessing one of the worst accidents the area has ever encountered. Multiple reports state that nine children and one adult were killed in a multi-car accident that closed down a highway.
The accident happened on Interstate 65 in Butler County before 2:30 p.m. It occurred between an SUV and a bus that was transporting foster children back to Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch in Camp Hill.
Michael Smith, CEO of the Alabama Sheriffs Youth Ranches, told reporters that both vehicles were heading back from a trip to the Gulf Shores. The collision ended up involving 18 vehicles total.
"This was probably the most horrific accident in Butler County history," said Butler County Sheriff Danny Bond, per People. Weather is largely being blamed for the incident. The cars reportedly skidded due to the aftermath of Tropical Storm Claudette.
Eight of the children who lost their lives in the bus were between the ages of 4 and 17, per CNN. The other child who died, along with her father, was in another vehicle. She was reportedly just 9 months old, and her father was 29.
The 29-year-old was reportedly a firefighter named Cody Fox. Cody and his young daughter, Ariana, were two of the first victims to be publicly named after the deadly crash. While Cody died at the scene, Ariana died later at a nearby hospital.
His fiancée was also in the car with them, but she survived the crash with minor injuries. The New Hope Volunteer Fire Department in Tennessee, where he spent a lot of time, gave him a beautiful tribute on social media. "Words cannot express the grief I have felt since I received the call yesterday afternoon informing me of the death of Cody and his daughter in an automobile accident in southern Alabama," the tribute read. "Cody was an integral part of the EMA staff in Marion County, always ready, always willing to serve."
"His upbeat attitude, his willingness to learn, and without a doubt the politest young man I have ever known, will be greatly missed," the post continued. "I offer my deepest prayers for his parents and family. He was a dedicated responder, a good son, a good brother, a good father and a good friend. I will miss him."
Four of the children who were killed went to Reeltown High School. A surviving teen who knew the girls paid a tearful tribute to the friends she lost, referring to them as sisters. "When people hear about the ranch, they usually assume that the girls have done something wrong or bad to get there. But that's not the case," she said, per AL.com.
"These girls have been through so much, and they were such strong, wonderful, kind family members and it was my privilege and my honor to be their big sister," she continued. She also chose to address the accident publicly. "I have some really, really great memories with the girls and I'm sure a lot of you do too," she said. "I loved them so, so much. But I know we can rest easy in the fact that we know they're in Heaven."
She went on to further praise the ranch, and the amount of love it brought to those who stayed there. "What the ranch does, it teaches us about faith, who to put our faith in and who we get our strength from," she explained. "These girls that are left here are strong." Still, it's more of a devastating loss when you realize how much the young women who stayed there had already gone through in their short lives.
"I am so thankful for all that I have, and I've lost a lot of family throughout my entire life, and I’ve been prepared for a lot of situations, but nothing could have prepared me for this," the teen continued. "It's hard, because I feel like every time I get close to somebody, they leave, or they get taken away. But this was a wonderful family while I had it."
So many lives changed based on one accident. The ranch, itself, is grieving heavily for so many young lives lost. "Our hearts are heavy today," staff wrote on Facebook. "Our ranch has suffered great loss. As some of you may have heard, one of our ranch vehicles was involved a multiple car accident this afternoon."
"Please send prayers our way as we navigate this difficult time," they continued. "We will update information as we are able, and if you have any questions feel free to contact us. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and respecting the privacy of our large and extended families."
It will be hard for so many families to recover from such a tragic event. "I've never seen a tragedy or heard of a tragedy like this in my entire life," said Michael Smith. "I'm still certainly trying to process what's going on here, I just know that God is leading me in the direction to continue to try to help the girls who survived and be here with them."