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Friday night, Dec. 29, Laurie Procopio-Willitts and her husband, Richard, were in the horrific car crash on Route 70, just 10 minutes from their home in Pemberton Township, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched by relatives for the family.
Just before 11:30 p.m., Diana Milelli, 49, of Marlton, was heading west on Route 70 when she crossed the center line and collided head-on with a pickup truck driven by Richard Willitts, 56, of Browns Mills, Pemberton Police Chief Jon Glass said.
Willitts was pronounced dead at the scene and his front seat passenger and wife, 57-year-old Laurie Procopio-Willitts, was airlifted to Cooper University with injuries to her lower body, police and family said.
Milelli also suffered injuries to her lower body and was taken to Cooper University Hospital in critical condition.
The Willitts were on their way to a laundromat, as they could not afford a new washing machine after theirs had broken, and going later at night, there would be no crowds, according to Laurie's sister, Linda Batastini-Farnoly of Cherry Hill, who set up a GoFundMe page.
"My sister is heavily sedated with almost every bone in her body broken, along with punctured lungs and needing multiple surgeries and eventually rehab," her sister wrote.
"Her 4 children are devastated on the loss of their father and watching their mother endure such traumatic injuries," she said.
Click here to view or donate to the GoFundMe.
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