A man who was devastated to learn that his two daughters had been killed in a car accident after using an application to monitor their mobile devices is now speaking out to PEOPLE about his feelings of grief and the affection he has for his kids.
Hailey Trumble, 19, and Shelby Trumble, 17, were both traveling in a Chevrolet Cobalt when they were involved in the accident that occurred on Ira Hill Road on Thursday, August 1. According to the authorities in upstate New York, the accident occurred on August 1.
When the sisters, who had spent the day at an amusement park in Rochester, failed to return home, Brian Trumble, 45, confirmed to PEOPLE that he used the Find My Friends app to find out their locations. He did this after sending them many texts when the sisters didn’t return home.
According to him, “It’s just unreal.” “I am still unable to accept it,” she said.
Earlier that morning, Brian had his last face-to-face discussion with his girls. During that chat, he informed them that he had given them $100 for the amusement park and that he loved them. He also advised them to “have fun and behave.”
“Of course, they were adults,” he emphasizes. “They didn’t need to be told to be behaved, but this is what I always tell them.”
After spending the day at Seabreeze with Brian’s girlfriend, the sisters went back to her house before heading out once again. Brian claims that the police informed him that the sisters used the GPS on Hailey’s phone to guide them back to Granby, which is where they were originally from.
Brian is of the opinion that his girls were not acquainted with the “hilly, windy road” that they were driving on at the time of the accident, and that it is very probable that they lost control of the car after traveling “too fast” over the point where the hill was at its highest point.
According to a press statement issued by the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office, the automobile that his children were riding in was heading in an easterly direction when it “crested a hill and crossed into the opposite lane, striking a second vehicle.” The driver of that car was able to survive the accident and was taken to a hospital to get treatment for her injuries.
Despite the fact that he claims he was initially unconcerned when he texted and phoned and did not get a response, saying that the region his daughters were traveling through did not have excellent mobile coverage, he made the decision to check in with them at about six o’clock that evening in order to see if he could locate their position.
As soon as he realized that they were heading in the direction of Ferris Road in Cato, he sent Shelby another text message asking, “Where are you?” Following the failure to obtain a response, he informed his girlfriend that their phone indicated that they were in Cato, which was just around three miles away from where they were.
“And she said, ‘Oh my God, I heard something happened on Ferris Road,'” he distinctly remembers.
Brian was stopped by a law enforcement officer who was blocking a roadway that led to Ferris Road as he was getting closer to their respective locations. Officers subsequently contacted him and informed him that two females had been engaged in an accident further down the road, and that one of the girls had passed away as a result of the collision. (Although they were unable to provide him with any other information at the time, he eventually found out that it was Shelby.)
When Brian thinks back on the incident, he says, “I just sat on my bumper and I couldn’t stand up.” He also mentions that the adjacent police officers and firefighters gave him support. Also, he says, “They were fantastic.”
After some time had passed, the Trumble family was informed that Hailey had also passed away. Brian claims that one of the firefighters, Josh Lovejoy, shared with him that he had been with Hailey right up to the moment she passed away.
This is what Brian had to say about the situation: “Since then, we have all just been holding on to each other and just coping and trying to deal.”
It is Brian’s belief that the cremation of Hailey and Shelby will provide him with “some sort of peace,” since it will ensure that they will be together forever.
The explanation that he gives is that “it does oddly bring some sort of comfort.” I mean, I really wish that none of this had taken place, but the fact that they are together does provide me with some degree of some consolation.
In addition, both of the daughters were organ donors. According to Brian, they choose that course of action in order to “assist other people” who are in need. I want people to know their narrative,” he continues, “they were charming and gorgeous and absolutely amazing.” “I want everyone to know their story.”
According to the information provided by their father, Haley graduated from high school the previous year, while Shelby graduated much earlier this year. In the meanwhile, Shelby had secured her first job at a nearby farm, while Hailey was due to begin working at a childcare center from the neighborhood.
“They were both just sweet and lovely and very good,” Brian remembers, noting that they were both big fans of animals and “simple country girls” at heart. “They were both very good to me.”
“They had an impact on a great number of people,” the father adds. “Everyone who had the opportunity to meet them just adored them. They are not only really nice and gentle, but also quite intelligent and incredibly sharp. The most of the time, they were simply trying to figure out what it was that they wanted to do.
According to the information provided by their father, a memorial ceremony for Hailey and Shelby will take place on Saturday, August 10 at the Traub Funeral Home located in Central Square.
Brian comments, “They were just so lovely,” and he is right. A great number of individuals placed a great deal of importance on them.