FAIRFAX STATION, Va. – Four girls are orphans after a car crash in Fairfax County killed both of their parents Saturday night.
“They had spent the whole day together doing the soccery family stuff and then were coming home,” said Cathy Melanson. Her sister, Jeanne Merrill, 42, and brother-in-law, Mike Merrill, 47, were on their way home after getting takeout in Springfield. Mike was driving, Jeanne in the passenger seat, and three of their four daughters sat in the back of the car. A 13-year-old, 3-year-old and 18-month-old.
The couple’s 9-year-old daughter was with a friend. Just after the Rolling Road exit on the Fairfax County Parkway, another driver lost control of her car and hit the Merrills’ SUV. Police say the impact forced’s the family’s vehicle across the median into the path of an oncoming pickup truck.
The girls survived, but paramedics pronounced Jeanne and Mike dead on the scene. Melanson and her parents got the news at the hospital, where the surviving girls were sent.
“Big hole missing,” Melanson said. “I mean, Jeanne and I grew up together. It was always Cathy and Jeanne. It’s a little heart wrenching for their not to be a Jeanne.”
The family is gathered at the Merrills’ home to mourn and to care for the girls, Mike and Jeanne’s surviving legacy.
“Wonderful parents, wonderful,” Melanson said. “The beauty of it is we have four safe, healthy, wonderful girls. So Mike and Jeanne’s future is secure because their kids are okay.”
The crash remains under investigation. Police say they don’t believe speed and alcohol played a role in the crash, but detectives are investigating the possibility that weather conditions may have been a factor.
