Newlyweds killed in car crash on honeymoon to Florida Keys
The car slammed head-on into a Ford F-250 pickup truck, killing the couple who was pronounced dead at the scene, the outlet reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Nascar pit crew member and his newlywed bride were killed in a head-on collision on their honeymoon to the Florida Keys, his team said.
William “Rowdy” Harrell, 30, who was a pit crew member for Hendrick Motorsports, was driving with his wife, Blakley, 23, when he veered over the center line on US 1 into oncoming traffic Tuesday night in Lower Matecumbe Key, the Miami Herald reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The car slammed head-on into a Ford F-250 pickup truck, killing the couple who was pronounced dead at the scene, the outlet reported.
The 62-year-old driver of the other vehicle suffered minor injuries, while his two passengers — a 58-year-old woman from Tennessee and a 62-year-old Florida woman — were critically injured and airlifted to hospitals, the paper reported.
Everyone involved in the collision were wearing their seatbelts, the Miami Herald reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Highway authorities are investigating whether alcohol played a role in the cash.
The Concord, N.C.-based Hendrick Motorsports, where Harrell has been a pit crew member for eight seasons, released a statement confirming the couple’s deaths.
The Harrell’s had been visiting the Florida vacation destination for their honeymoon after tying the knot Nov. 22, the team said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Our entire team is absolutely devastated at the loss of Rowdy and Blakley,” Harrell’s crew chief Greg Ives said. “They were such positive, giving and passionate people who could not have been a more perfect match.”
NYC COUPLE DROWNS ON CARIBBEAN HONEYMOON DAYS AFTER MARRIAGE
Ives remembered Rowdy as an “energetic and infectious personality.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Rowdy shared his love with the people around him and was loved in return. Although he will be greatly missed, his memory will continue to inspire us always,” Ives said.
Prior to his NASCAR career, Harrell won three championships as a linebacker for the University of Alabama football team, NBC Sports reported. He had also played football at Hale County High School in Moundville, Alabama.