It was the end of a vacation for an Amherstburg family that's become a nightmare.
The Brundritts were nearly home when they came to a stop on Highway 401 around 4:40 p.m. on Sunday because of a minor crash. That is when the OPP say an approaching transport truck slammed into the back of their truck, and the family’s camper ended up on top of their vehicle.
Lacie Brundritt, 42, and her 14-year-old son Kyle were sadly pronounced dead at the scene. Her 39-year-old husband Michael and 12-year-old son Evan were both transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Family and friends of the Brundritts remain in shock.
Sue Markham is a friend and colleague of Lacie's at Canada Post. She got the tragic news by telephone Sunday night.
“I said, ‘You've got to be kidding me. It's not possible,’" says Markham.
Lacie was a letter carrier and the Secretary-Treasurer for CUP-W local 500. Friends say she was an avid scrap booker, and a music buff.
“She gave quite the rendition of happy birthday in the most off key operatic voice anyone has ever heard,” remembers Dan Sutton, the President of CUP-W local 500. “Many people, when it came time for their birthday, looked forward to that rendition."
“Lacie had a wicked sense of humour,” remembers Markham. “Truly a loss to this world. Lost a bright light, that's for sure."
Kyle Brundritt was going into Grade 10 at St. Thomas of Villanova Secondary School.
“Kyle certainly was coming into his own, to become a good young man,” says Sutton. “It's tragic news, and it certainly hits home in a community like Amherstburg."
Essex MPP Taras Natyshak initiated a request for information from the Ministry of Transportation and the OPP resulting from the investigation.
“We owe it to the family to find out how this happened," says Natyshak, who recently tabled a private member's bill requesting safety cameras at all construction sites. Natyshak hopes to see it included in future legislation.
“My hope is we can take this example and many others across the province and learn from them, and ensure that we're doing everything that we can to make sure that communities are not devastated and that families aren't torn apart from accidents like this," adds Natyshak.
Funeral details have not been confirmed at this time.
The OPP are looking for anyone who may have information or dash cam video of the crash on the 401 near Dillon Road in Chatham-Kent around 4:40 p.m. Sunday.
