Three members of a family were killed overnight when a tow truck struck several vehicles in Aurora, police say.
William O’Neil, 40, Karen Joy O’Neil, 43, and Trevor O’Neil, 4, were killed in the accident said Aurora police spokeswoman Detective Shannon Lucy.
A 2½-year-old boy in the same car was flown by helicopter to The Children’s Hospital and is in fair condition, Lucy said.
Family members said the surviving child’s name is Tyler. His grandmother, Marcie Frostman, 75, said the boy had a broken femur.
Four other people, including the driver of the tow truck, were taken to local hospitals and treated for minor injuries, she said.
At 10:55 p.m. Wednesday, a red 2002 Ford F-650 tow truck was traveling north in the 1300 block of Chambers Road when it hit a 1997 Honda CR-V going in the same direction.
The tow truck then crossed the median, collided with a 2003 Nissan Murano and then a 1999 silver Chrysler 300M, both going in the opposite direction.
The O’Neil family was in the Chrysler. The two boys were in the back seat, Lucy said. Karen O’Neil was driving, Frostman said.
Karen O’Neil was a stay-at-home mother who was always doing something with the children, such as taking them to the zoo, Frostman said. William O’Neil worked for a computer company, Frostman said.
“I am going to try to get Tyler home,” she said.
Karen O’Neil’s sister, Carolyn Kanneberg of Ashland, Wis., said Karen sold Mary Kay products and took her children to church every week.
“They’re great people. A really nice family,” said neighbor Sandra Trujillo. She said she was watching the news this morning with her husband, Ernest, when they saw the story on the crash. The couple rushed to their front door and looked across the street. They didn’t see the O’Neil’s Chrysler in the driveway.
“I instinctively knew,” said Trujillo. “We both started crying.”
Authorities are investigating the accident, and no charges have been filed, Lucy said.
Southbound Chambers Road was closed for nearly nine hours, reopening shortly before 8 a.m. this morning.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
