NORFOLK, Va. – Kiara Beckett and Nashawn Smiley are still trying to process their feelings after their nephews Ya’sire Smith, 5, and Zi’aire Mack, 3, both of Chesapeake, were killed in a plane crash hundreds of miles away in Florida.
“My nephews were full of energy,” Smiley said. “They were really, really smart… I just wanted everything for them.”
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On Monday, Smith and Mack lost their lives in an SUV accident while vacationing with their family in West Palm County, Florida.
Authorities in West Palm County said the SUV hit a railing, rolled over and landed in a canal. Nine people were killed. The youngest victim was just one year old.
The West Palm Sheriff’s Office released a report saying no one in the SUV was using “safety equipment” when the accident occurred.
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Among the dead were Smith and Mack.
Her aunts walked away in disbelief.
“It just doesn’t feel real,” Smiley told News 3’s Jay Greene. “You wish someone would call and say they made a mistake.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is now involved in the investigation.
Smiley and Beckett told Greene there were still many unanswered questions about the incident and they tried to comfort the boys’ mother, who was in Chesapeake at the time of the crash.
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“Not knowing how to comfort your sister and support her emotionally is painful,” Smiley said. “It’s set us back.”
According to Beckett and Smiley, Smith and Mack were their mother’s only children.
“The night before the accident, she just asked us if they were playing soccer,” Beckett said. “So we were hoping they would be on the field with their cousins.”
A Virginia funeral home is now en route to Florida to bring the boys back to the state for a proper burial. Beckett and Smiley are trying to raise money through a GoFundMe page to cover the costs.
“I just want my sister to be as comfortable as possible right now,” Beckett said. “Anything that’s left could potentially help her get through the next few months.”
It is their sister’s faith and strength that help them get through this tragic and terrible time.
“She’s showing no signs of weakness,” Beckett told Greene. “You have to get this over with. We can cry later.”
