A Georgia man is fighting for his life after a horrific seven-car crash that killed his girlfriend, whose family heartbreakingly revealed he planned to propose.
Tragedy unfolded on September 27 on I-75 in Atlanta, when McKayla Harshaw, 24, lost her life when two trucks collided with several cars and overturned the vehicle she was in.
Harshaw’s boyfriend, Andrew Perez, who was driving the vehicle, survived the crash but was hospitalized with a fractured skull, neck and back, broken ribs and a concussion.
As tributes poured in for the “beautiful and prosperous” young woman, Harshaw’s family said in a Facebook post that Perez’s brother told them he planned to propose to McKayla soon.
McKayla Harshaw, 24 (left), was tragically killed in a horror seven-car crash on a highway in Atlanta, Georgia, which also left her boyfriend Andrew Perez fighting for his life in the hospital.
The accident occurred on September 27 on I-75 in Atlanta, when the collision of two trucks caused five other vehicles to be hit, overturning the vehicle in which Harshaw and Pérez were.
Harshaw’s family said his untimely death came just four days before his 25th birthday, and said in a solemn social media post that he will now be “24 forever.”
“McKayla would have turned 25 this Monday,” said her mother Melissa Gunther. “We are now planning his funeral.”
Melissa said her daughter did not have life insurance and shared a GoFundMe to help the family pay for the funeral which at the time of this writing exceeded $17,000.
The crash occurred after traffic was forced to detour around a vehicle, causing two trucks to collide while slowing down, Georgia State Troopers said.
The trucks crashed into a pickup truck, which then crashed into another car, which in turn crashed into Perez’s Toyota Corolla that the couple was in, causing it to overturn.
Harshaw was the only fatality at the scene, which involved a total of seven vehicles, including the two trucks.
Tributes poured in for McKayla, who was described by her family as a “beautiful, prosperous young woman with her whole life ahead of her.”
McKayla died just days before her birthday, which she shared with her grandmother, photographed mourning their shared birthday days later in a heartbreaking Facebook post shared by her family.
Horror images taken after the accident showed several vehicles strewn across the road, which was closed for several hours after the accident.
Harshaw’s mother said that at 5:30 pm that day she received the news that “no parent should have to endure this.”
“Two Georgia State Patrol cars came to our house to tell us the devastating news,” he wrote on social media.
Days later, on what would have been McKayla’s 25th birthday, she said in another post: “You should have turned 25 today, but this afternoon I realized you’ll always be 24.”
‘We miss your smile and brave personality. Tonight we sang Happy Birthday to Grandma (since they both shared the same birthday). Then we sing it a second time for you. We miss you very much. Happy 25th birthday to my beautiful girl.’
Melissa accompanied the post with a heartbreaking image of McKayla’s grandmother crying on her birthday while her family members comforted her.
In the GoFundMe for her funeral, McKayla was described as a “beautiful, thriving young woman with her whole life ahead of her.”