A Virginia family of three was killed in a horrific fiery crash on Interstate 66 while driving home from church Sunday afternoon.
Marlysha Liddell, her husband, Paul, and their 4-year-old daughter, Leilani, were heading back to Manassas after attending services in Washington, D.C., when tragedy struck shortly after 4 p.m.
According to Virginia State Police, the family was riding in a Honda Pilot when it rear-ended a utility truck carrying oxygen tanks that had stopped in the roadway.
A Toyota 4Runner was also involved in the chain of events leading up to the deadly crash.
Investigators said the 4Runner had been “forced out of” its lane and struck bollards separating the express lanes.
The 4Runner and the utility truck then came to rest in the highway’s right lane.
Moments later, the Liddells’ Honda Pilot slammed into the truck and burst into flames.
Marlysha, Paul and Leilani all died at the scene.
Police later charged the drivers of the other two vehicles with reckless driving.
Walter R. Juarez Bautista, 55, of Virginia, was driving the Toyota 4Runner, while Jesus Huaman, 45, of Maryland, was operating the utility truck.
The truck was carrying oxygen tanks, which are classified as hazardous materials under federal law.
Interstate 66 stretches about 76 miles between Interstate 81 near Middletown, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The heavily traveled highway is one of the main commuter routes connecting Northern Virginia suburbs with the nation’s capital and is frequently congested during peak travel times.
The Liddell family lived in Manassas and made the trip to Washington every Sunday to attend St. Augustine Church in Northwest D.C.
The historic parish was founded in 1858 as Washington’s first Black Catholic church.
Marlysha worked as a civil rights attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Their daughter, Leilani, had been born prematurely and was considered the couple’s miracle baby.
Family and church members said the little girl had developed an unusually advanced vocabulary for her age and was preparing to begin pre-K this week.
Paul was remembered by loved ones as someone who spoke openly and proudly about how much he loved his wife and daughter.
Friends described the couple as a perfect match, calling Paul “the yin to his wife’s yang.”
News of the crash reached members of St. Augustine Church not long after the family had left following Sunday services.
Church member Melinda Jennings described the loss as devastating for the entire congregation.
“It’s a major blow,” she said, adding that “it’s going to be a very hard third Sunday and even beyond.”
The deaths have left the family’s church community mourning three lives lost just hours after they had worshipped together.
