Tragedy erupted at the end of this year's Super Bowl, as the aunt and uncle of San Francisco 49ers tight end Delanie Walker were killed in a car accident near New Orleans after the game.
Alice and Bryan Young of Pomona, Calif. were brought to a stop on the shoulder of Interstate 10 in ST. Charles Parish when a driver hit them as she veered off the highway. Nechole Thomas, 26, of Houston was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide, driving while intoxicated and reckless operation of a vehicle.
Her 2002 Mercedes slammed their 2012 Nissan Altima from behind at high speed, Trooper Melissa Matey said. Both cars caught fire and the Youngs' bodies were not found until the blaze was out.
Matey said it took until Wednesday afternoon for the coroner to identify the Youngs.
Walker said in a Twitter posting that his aunt and uncle of the same name were killed "by a drunk" at 5 a.m. Monday. The message's subject line read, "Horrible."
"We lost some good people," Walker wrote on Twitter with an accompanying photo. "They will be missed. I love y'all so much."
"We extend our deepest sympathies and prayers to Delanie and his family as they grieve this tragedy," 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said in a statement. "Our organization is here to support Delanie through this tough time, as we do with all of our players and staff. At this time, we will respect their family's privacy and ask others to do so as well."
