Alexus Lee and John “JR” Collins, an engaged couple planning to marry next year, died in two separate car crashes on the same day—leaving their loved ones in shock and their 4-year-old son without his parents.
The heartbreaking chain of events happened on May 16. According to a news release from the Louisiana State Police, officers responded to two separate fatal crashes on LA 67 in the early hours of the day—each in a different parish.
The first crash happened just after 2:00 a.m. in East Baton Rouge Parish, where Lee was driving north on LA 67 near Lemon Road. Police say she was behind the wheel of a 2013 Toyota Highlander when the vehicle veered off the road, hit a culvert and overturned.
Lee, who was not wearing a seatbelt, suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say it’s still unclear what caused the crash, and a routine toxicology sample was collected for analysis.
News of the accident quickly reached Collins, who reportedly got in his car to head to the scene, according to local news station WAFB. However, on the way there, tragedy struck again. He, too, lost control of his vehicle, hit a tree and was ejected from the car. Like Lee, he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.
Around 3:45 a.m., state troopers were called to another single-vehicle crash. Authorities say John “JR” Collins was driving a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro southbound on LA 67 at a high rate of speed when he failed to navigate a right-hand curve. The car left the roadway, struck a tree and Collins, was ejected from the vehicle. He died at the scene.
Police noted that impairment is not suspected in Collins’ crash.
The news has rocked both families.
“I love them and I’m gonna miss both of them and I’m gonna find the strength to go ahead,” JR’s father, Arthur Collins,told WAFB.
“Losing Lexus just different. It was a different feeling, and it’s like I know a part of me gone,” said her sister, Dominque Lee.
Collins’ mother, Sandra, reflected on the love the couple shared—and how much they meant to those around them. “He loved Alexus as well as everybody else who knew her. To know her was to love her.”
Together, their family says the couple were devoted parents to their son, Gabriel.
“He understands what happened, and he’s just having a little problem comprehending that we can’t talk to them. We can’t see them, but he understands that they are asleep and are with God,” Sandra Collins shared.
She added that while their loss is devastating, their little boy will never be alone. “Even though they left a child behind, we have a great support system. The two families will blend, and we will do whatever it takes to give him a good life.”
To honor their lives, both families will gather for a joint celebration of life on May 21 in Clinton, Louisiana.