A local family has been struck by tragedy after the deaths of two family members, an adult and a child, this past Friday in a fatal car wreck on GA-365. Now, they need their community to come together to help them through this painful time.
A family car ride headed to a Halloween event turned deadly on the night of Oct. 29. Denise Wade was driving a Toyota Matrix with her cousins, Jessica Burgess and Cynthia Wade, and Burgess’s two sons, Lincoln and Hudson, when the wreck occurred.
Georgia State Troopers say Denise Wade failed to yield and pulled into the path of the oncoming southbound van. Cynthia, 29, and Lincoln, 5, both died in the wreck.
Burgess’s infant son, Hudson, is currently hospitalized at Childrens’ Hospital of Atlanta. He is in critical condition as doctors work to reduce swelling and excess fluid in his brain, which are causing seizures, Burgess says.
“Hudson is still on a ventilator and paralyzed and comatose by medications,” she says. “He will not even have his medications lowered for at least four days.“
Burgess posted on her Facebook that Lincoln had spoken just days before the crash that he “wanted to go to heaven and see his Aunt Autumn and talk to God.”
Lincoln is remembered as a sweet, kind little boy who loved his baby brother.
“Lincoln was on the Autism spectrum but that didn’t get in his way,” wrote family friend Breanna Strickland. “He was such a sweet, kind, and happy child who loved everyone he met!”
Friends and family remember Cynthia as the kind of person who always went out of her way to make others smile, and that her laugh was contagious. She leaves behind two sons, and is described as authentic, unique, funny and big-hearted.
Funeral arrangements have been made for Cynthia and Lincoln. The family had planned to hold off services until Hudson’s condition improved, but his road to recovery will be long.
“We just learned that Hudson will be in ICU for a long time,” Burgess says. “We are trying to come home today to make arrangements for my sweet Lincoln and my sister.“
Their services will be together and are scheduled for 2 p.m., Monday, Nov. 8 at McGahee-Griffin and Stewart funeral home. Interment will follow in the Wade Family Cemetery in Alto.
The family is in need of financial support for medical and funeral expenses. Anyone who would like to donate can do so through Cynthia or the Burgess family’s GoFundMe pages. Family members are also asking for prayers of healing for Hudson, as well as prayers for comfort during the grieving process.
