A Georgia couple died on the “trip of a lifetime” to Baton Rouge, La., for Georgia Southern football’s season opener against Lousiana State to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.
Danny Hagan, 45, and his wife Julie, 43, were killed Sunday after their Nissan Altima hydroplaned on Interstate 16 near Swainsboro, Ga. The driver lost control in the rain and hit a tree in a center median, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.
Danny was pronounced dead at the scene and his wife later died at Augusta University Medical Center, police said.
The couple had three children, Matthew, Joshua and Madison, who are all students at Georgia Southern.
“This is by far the worst pain that I have ever encountered & I cannot find any words to describe my feelings,” the couple’s daughter Madison Hagan wrote in a public Facebook post. “They were my world & I will never see another love like my parents had for everyone they met.”
Georgia Southern released a statement saying university officials are “deeply saddened by the loss of two members of our Eagle Nation family.”
“The president has reached out to the family, as have student affairs officials to ensure the children know of our concern and our willingness to help in any way,” spokeswoman Jennifer Wise told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “We are prepared to provide support to the children — our students — emotionally and academically with any resources we have. We appreciate greatly the support we have seen for this family and offer our condolences along with the university community.”
There are several GoFundMe campaigns set up to support the children, including one with the support of LSU fans that has raised more than $36,000.
