Kevin Rader/Eyewitness News
Springfield, MO August 16 - It was described as a massive ball of flames. An eastbound semi lost control and veered into oncoming westbound traffic striking a car with four occupants from Indianapolis.
A witness described what happened. "It was a big ball of flames and then all of the sudden the driver came out of the flames and then there was another explosion after that and there was glass flying everywhere."
An Indiana State Policeman brought word of the Missouri crash to Annie Mae Galbreath Monday night. "I told him I was all right, go ahead and tell me. He said Michael was dead."
Annie Mae is the grandmother of Michael Galbreath, age 38, a Ben Davis graduate who worked for the Fishers Parks Department who was driving Yulanda Parker, age 36, and her two children to a funeral in Missouri.
Missouri State Police Sgt. Al Raetz says Galbreath veered off the road to miss the oncoming truck. "At that time the truck landed on top of that car and sometime in that time frame it caught fire and both vehicles were fully engulfed in the fire."
Everyone inside the car was killed.
Yulanda Parker worked for IndyGo for three years. She drove what is normally referred to as the fixed bus routes in Indianapolis.
According to Ronnetta Slaughter of IndyGo the shock is still sinking in for those who knew and worked with her. "All of them are saying Miss Parker was a very good worker. Very sweet and very quiet."
Alycia Hamilton was Parker's neighbor. "That's wild, especially being right next door. You don't think of things like that happening."
Galbreath leaves a nine-year-old daughter whose birthday fell on the day he died.
The names of the two children who perished in this crash are Nicholas Malone and Julissa Malone. We do not have their ages. Funeral services are pending.
