Georgia family killed by fiery crash was on way to beach, Disney
WOFL-35 video shows wreckage from fatal accident along Florida Turnpike in Lake County
By Christal Hayes and Steven Lemongello Orlando Sentinel
Georgia family killed in wreck was traveling to Disney for infant's birthday
Georgia couple and infant daughter identified as victims in Turnpike crash
Thomas Garza and his soon-to-be wife, Lillian Luna, excitedly packed their car for a spur-of-the-moment trip to Florida to celebrate their daughter's first birthday.
The Georgia couple planned to visit Walt Disney World and the beach during the long Labor Day weekend but were killed when their Nissan Maxima was rear-ended by a Mercedes SUV in Lake County shortly after 4 a.m. Sunday, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Both vehicles flipped and caught fire.
Lillian Luna, Thomas Garza and their daughter Brianna celebrate her first birthday just weeks before a deadly crash took their lives on the way to the beach and Disney World. (Elataly Luna)
"They were hoping to give her a huge birthday for the big No. 1, and they knew this weekend they'd have time to spend together," said Luna's sister, Elataly Luna. "It's just so sad."
Garza, 23, and Lillian Luna, 20, of Moultrie, Ga., died at the scene of the crash near Howey-in-the-Hills. They were identified Monday by family members, FHP Sgt. Kim Montes said.
Their daughter, Brianna, was ejected from the car and died Sunday at Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital in Orlando. She turned 1 on Aug. 27.
Elataly Luna said the pair had been inseparable since they started dating in 2012 and were over the moon when Brianna was born.
She said Garza worked long hours to spoil his daughter. Lillian Luna was taking night classes to earn her high-school diploma and hoped to study medicine.
"They both worked so hard because they wanted to provide Brianna a great future. They spoiled her and gave her everything she needed and way more," Elataly Luna said. "They were phenomenal parents and loved her so much."
Elataly Luna said the couple met at an automotive shop where Garza worked. They hit it off immediately.
"It was like fate, and they have been at each other's side since," Elataly Luna said.
The Facebook pages for Garza and Luna were filled with pictures of the couple and their baby daughter. Family created a GoFundMe page asking for help with funeral expenses.
Garza's sister, Eloisa Garza, said the couple and their baby had such bright futures.
"Thomas was a good man. He loved Brianna more than anyone or anything else. Lillian and him stuck together no matter what," she said. "They were happy, and they did anything to give Brianna the best."
The driver of the Mercedes, James Dameron, 24, of Orlando, suffered minor injuries and was transported to South Lake Hospital in Clermont.
His drivers license was suspended Sept. 1.
Charges in the crash are pending, Montes said. She said preliminary information shows Dameron was traveling faster than Garza and his family.
Several months ago Dameron was charged with possession of methamphetamine and resisting an officer without violence. He also has faced charges for unlawful speed, texting while driving, and littering on a public highway within the last few years, according to public records.
No witnesses have contacted the FHP, Montes said. "Any witness is always important to a crash investigation," she said. "In this case we have a driver that is alive that gives us his version of what happened and a driver that is dead that cannot tell us what happened."
Montes asks that anyone with information about the crash call the FHP at 407-737-2213.