The Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. — A two-week road trip planned by an Irish family living in Wisconsin came to a sudden and tragic end when their van flipped over on a rural highway.
Both parents were killed in the accident in northeastern Iowa on Sunday night, while their three children were hospitalized, authorities said.
Among the survivors was the driver, 15-year-old Sarah O’Connell, who was getting experience behind the wheel months after getting her learner’s permit.
“It’s just horribly sad. These aren’t statistics. These are real people,” said Dennis Hughes, chief of safety programs for the Wisconsin State Patrol. “Your heart goes out to this child. ... These are three orphans and their lives are changed forever.”
The Iowa State Patrol said the van drifted onto the shoulder, the driver overcorrected and the van rolled at least twice before coming to rest on its wheels. All but the driver were thrown from the van; she was the only one wearing a seat belt, records showed.
Joe O’Connell, 50, died at the scene and his wife Anne, 44, died after being taken to University Hospital in Iowa City. Their daughter Maeve, 10, was in University Hospital’s intensive care unit after surgery Monday.
Sarah and her brother Colman, 13, were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.
The O’Connells, citizens of Ireland, moved between Ireland and the U.S. a few times. But family friend Kelly Meuer said most of the time Anne lived in Madison with the children while Joe was in Ireland for work.
The family had planned to take advantage of one of Joe O’Connell’s visits to take the cross-country road trip, Meuer told the Wisconsin State Journal.
“Joe hadn’t seen the kids, because he had been across the sea,” Meuer said. “They were going to take two weeks and, honestly, they didn’t have an itinerary.”
Grandparents of the children were reported to be en route to Iowa from Ireland Monday.