Luc Morin, age 65, and Christine Banavige, age 52, both of New Britain, died when their pickup truck was struck and rolled over on I-290 in Worcester on Saturday, July 30. The couple was apparently heading to their cabin in Maine, according to a GoFundMe organized in their honor.
"Christine has two young adult daughters who are just starting out their adult lives," the campaign read. "They were Christine’s world and are completely unprepared and blindsided by these awful and tragic circumstances."
Initial investigation suggests a 2009 Toyota Matrix, driven by a 52-year-old Worcester man, was driving in the right lane when he swerved into the middle lane and hit the truck.
"The impact caused the Frontier to spin out and rollover and come to final rest atop a guardrail," Massachusetts State Police said in a statement.
Both Morin and Banavige were pronounced dead at the scene. Meanwhile the driver of the Matrix was taken to a local hospital for minor injuries, police said.
The news of the couple's death sent shockwaves through their local community, with many taking to Facebook to remember their legacy.
"Christine was a fellow bus driver. The hardest working bus driver in our lot," the GoFundMe continued. "She went far above and beyond her duties and was always there for anyone of us who needed help."
The purpose of the GoFundMe is to help support Christine's daughters. The campaign had raised more than $1,300 of its $5,000 goal as of Tuesday, Aug. 2. People can donate by clicking here.
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