Father Of Girls Killed In Taconic Parkway Crash Talks With CBS2 About Moving On
FLORAL PARK N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- It is a daily struggle for Warren and Jackie Hance to come to terms with their grief.
The Floral Park couple lost all three of their children in a wrong-way crash on the Taconic Parkway in 2009. Four others were also killed.
Warren's sister, Diane Schuler, was behind the wheel, speeding and intoxicated, driving the minivan home from an upstate camping trip.
On Friday, the eve of an event honoring their children, Warren sat down for a rare interview with CBS2's Jennifer McLogan.
"When you lose an 8-, a 7- and a 5-year-old, you have not only affected your family, but an entire community," Warren said.
The Hance Family Foundation is is holding a fundraiser Saturday at Centennial Gardens -- a 5K run for 2,000 people followed by a barbecue, games and music. It's the family's way of giving back and reaching out to young girls across the globe. The mission: building confidence and self-esteem, in memory of Emma, Alyson and Katie.
"Our goal's very modest, but as we've gone out and given the program and seen its effectiveness, we've realized it will benefit girls not just here in Floral Park but all over," Warren said.
Losing their children could have ended Warren and Jackie's marriage and plunged them into dark depression.
"What the human body is capable of, no one knows until you are faced with the worst of the worst of the worst," Warren said. "You get up and walk. You have no other choice."
A few years ago, the Hances were blessed with another daughter, Kasey Rose.
When "you have absolutely everything taken away from you -- and I mean everything -- when someone hands you something, it is everything," Warren said. "That is what she is to us today."
Giving back is giving the couple a new purpose.
"You go from a decision to survive to a plan and structure for success," Warren said. "And once you get to success, you decide that service is the way to make that happen."
The Hances say it is all about moving forward. Volunteering and helping others can be empowering and healing.
