A Michigan family of five was killed Sunday when a wrong-way driver believed to be drunk crashed into their SUV on a Kentucky interstate as they were returning from a vacation, authorities said.
Issam Abbas, 42, his wife, Dr. Rima Abbas, 38, and their children Ali, 14; Isabella, 13; and Giselle, 7, all died after the SUV they were in went up in flames after being struck head-on by a pickup truck headed south in a northbound lane on I-75 in Lexington, according to the Lexington Police Department.
The driver of the pickup, identified as a 41-year-old Georgetown, Kentucky, man was also killed in the 2:30 a.m. collision, said police, who asked the public for any information they had regarding the crash.
The Fayette County Coroner believes the pickup truck driver was under the influence.
The Abbas family was returning home from a trip to Florida, the coroner said.
"Our hearts are broken at this horrific news," ACCESS, the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, said in a statement. "Dr. Rima and her family were loving members of the Dearborn community and they will forever remain in our memory."
Funeral services for the family began Sunday and would run through Tuesday at the Islamic Center of America, according to the City of Dearborn.
A statement from Northville Public Schools, which the three children attended, said support staff would be available Monday to help students work through the loss, according to NBC affiliate WDIV.
"Our hearts go out to this grieving family and all those affected by this tremendous loss," the statement said.
