The tragic loss of NASCAR champion Greg Biffle and his loved ones, including his wife Cristina, their son Ryder, 5, and his daughter Emma, 14, as well as Dennis Dutton and his son Jack, Craig Wadsworth, and the two others, was a devastating blow to their families and friends.
Just moments before her passing on December 18th, Cristina sent a harrowing text to her mother Cathy, saying, "We're in trouble." Cathy recounts the heart-wrenching moment, tears streaming down her face, "She texted me from the plane and said, 'We're in trouble.' And that was it."
The group was on a "birthday trip" to Florida, a joyous occasion that now brings only unbearable sorrow. Cathy shares her memories of the family's last day together at her house, saying, "I don't remember what the last words I said to my daughter or Greg or Ryder. I know we hugged, but I don't remember those last words and that's going to haunt me. But they were happy."
Cristina and Greg were known for their selfless acts of kindness. Cathy recalls one of their last conversations about Santa letters that Cristina would send "at her own expense" to families in need. "She said, 'Mom, can you go pick up the last 17 letters that are at Staples? I want to get them in the mail before I get on the plane tomorrow,'" Cathy shares. "So I ran over and got them and took them to their house. When they got home last night, she put them in envelopes and finished them all up to bring joy to those 17 families. That would be the last thing she would've done."
A friend of Cristina's, Erica Zangwill, shares her memories of the mother of two. "She had the biggest heart and loved helping other people before herself," Zangwill says. "She was a one in a million individual and I can't believe she's gone."
Initial reports of the crash did not immediately identify the victims. A friend of the family, Rep. Richard Hudson, later confirmed the Biffle family's tragic loss in a statement. "I am devastated by the loss of Greg, Cristina, and their children. My heart is with all who loved them," he wrote. "They were friends who lived their lives focused on helping others. Greg was a great NASCAR champion who thrilled millions of fans. But he was an extraordinary person as well, and will be remembered for his service to others as much as for his fearlessness on the track."
The families of the Biffles, Duttons, and Wadsworths remembered them in a statement on Thursday afternoon. "We are devastated by the loss of our loved ones. This tragedy has left all of our families heartbroken beyond words," the statement reads.
