It was a weekend to celebrate a beloved family matriarch, surrounded by generations of her loved ones at her disco-themed 80th birthday party.
But it ended in tragedy, after an SUV carrying 10 family members through South Florida careened off a two-lane country road and into a canal in a remote stretch of western Palm Beach County, killing 9 people, six of them children.
Patricia Edwards’ extended family and loved ones had traveled from across the country to celebrate her on Saturday, as she grooved into her eighth decade decked out in tie-dye bell bottoms and peace sign jewelry, according to social media posts.
“Just wanted to say (thank you) to all my family that traveled to Florida for my mom’s 80th bday party,” her daughter Pamela Wiggins posted on Facebook.
“My mom really enjoyed herself and I will post pictures later,” Wiggins wrote just after midnight on Monday. “(L)ove you all.”
But Wiggins, 56, never got the chance to share all those photos and memories. Less than eight hours later, she was declared dead after officers found the 2023 Ford Explorer she was driving, with nine of her family members inside, had veered off a rural stretch of Hatton Highway near Belle Glade and flipped upside down into a roadside canal.
abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/suv-crash-killed-9-family-members-matriarchs-80th-112661196