Women were sisters, best friends who died in Dearborn Heights crash

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (WJBK) - A Garden City family is enduring an unthinkable tragedy as two sisters are killed in a crash.

One of the young women made a mistake behind the wheel as they were hit by an oncoming semi-truck on Van Born in Dearborn Heights.

Best friends 19-year-old Samantha Fox and her big sister Heidi Fox, 24 on the right. They did so many things together including Thursday riding in their silver Ford Focus when suddenly and tragically, both young lives were snuffed out when they were broadsided by an 18-wheeler.

"I'm their uncle and I tried to be there for them," said relative Charles Stanley. "I tried to be their friend, I tried to be there for them and they are gone.  There's nothing any of us can do to get them back."

Dearborn Heights Police crash reconstruction investigators say the sisters were northbound on Beech Daly and had a red light. For whatever reason the sisters never stopped and were struck in the passenger's side by the 18 truck driving westbound on Van Born. The semi at impact, pushed the Focus several hundred yards, before everything stopped. Both sisters sadly were dead at the scene.

"It's rough the sense of loss is horrible there's just nothing that anybody can do or say that helps that," said Chris Youmans, their stepfather. "It started out as a good morning and turned into this."

Chris Youmans spoke for the sister's parents Tonua and Pete Fox. The sisters both graduated from Garden City High School but the truck driver who had the right of way, stopped to try to offer aid and is not being charged.

The family says right now it's not important to know who was driving the Focus. And they're not concerned with why the sisters never stopped at the light. What's important now, is the tremendous loss of two beautiful young women who were just starting their lives and the sudden expense of a double funeral.

"We're putting together a fund for Sam and Heidi through Comerica Bank," said Youmans said. "That will happen in the morning. If you were touched by their lives like we were and if you could make a donation it would help."

If you would like to help the family, contact Comerica Bank and ask for the Samantha and Heidi Fox fund.