BEAVERCREEK — Family, friends and neighbors are feeling the loss of three Beavercreek family members killed in a crash in Kentucky.
Jitu and Nitu Galani and their 4-year-old son were killed after Kentucky State Police said their car fell over an embankment at a state park Saturday.
Their 9-year-old son was the only survivor.
Amber Sargeant said the pandemic brought her close to the Galani family.
“Jitu and Nitu would sit out under the tree by our house and the boys were outside playing, and we’d sit out there all summer long for three, four, five hours and just talk about everything,” Sargeant said.
She remembered playing with Jitu and Nitu’s two sons and giving them rides on her electric wheelchair.
“He’s was always like ‘faster, faster, faster let’s go faster!” she remembered.
They told her they wanted to give camping a try for their next family trip.
Coming back from a trip to West Virginia the Galanis wanted to spend the night at Carter Caves Resort Park in Northeastern Kentucky.
But one wrong maneuver ended the family adventure and their lives.
“My mom was, got a news break on her phone and it said ‘Beavercreek family of three died in Kentucky,’ and she’s like surely that’s not them, it’s a family of four,” Sargent said.
But it was them.
According to KSP, the Galanis missed the park entrance went to turn around and fell over an embankment into a creek.
It’s been difficult for Sargent to process what happened.
“Jitu was all about spiritual and how we’re all one and that’s what we keep reminding ourselves is that we’re all one. We’re all together, even though it doesn’t feel like that right now,” she said.
What gives her comfort is what a blessing it was to have them in her life.
“It really was. They were the best people I’ve ever met,” Sargent said.
A family member has organized a GoFundMe page to help financially support the surviving son. To donate, you can click here.