Heartbreak as pregnant woman in labor dies when 'car is crushed by drunk driver'

An unspeakable tragedy struck a Florida family on Sunday when a woman who was nine months pregnant and in labor, was crushed to death by a suspected drunk driver as she sat in the back passenger seat of a minivan.

Tiffany Woodham, 19, called her mother on Sunday night to say she was starting to have contractions but minutes later the expectant mom was killed from the impact of the crash and though doctors tried to save her unborn baby girl in an emergency C-section, the child died in Winter Haven, Florida.

The beautiful blonde teenager was engaged to be married to the love of her life and pregnant with her first child, who she planned to name Novalee Annabelle, but now her family is grieving the two lives lost.



A life cut short: Tiffany Woodham, 19, showed off her baby bump in July. The Florida teen was killed by a suspected drunk driver on Sunday night

So many dreams: Tiffany's family and fiance, Zack Rowles, eagerly awaited the arrival of the baby girl they planned to name Novalee Annabelle



The unimaginable accident occurred on Sunday night around 10 p.m., when Tiffany sat with her fiance Zack Rowles, 22, in the backseat of a 2010 Chrysler van.



Tiffany had just called her mother Teresa Hidle, to report that she was beginning to have contractions and was going into labor, according to Bay News 9 TV .

'I said, about how far apart? And she said, at this moment mom, and it's been this way for an hour, it about 30 minutes,' Teresa Hidle told the local news station about the last conversation she had with her daughter.



Unspeakable: When Tiffany discovered she was expecting a baby girl (pictured at 25 weeks) she chronicled her pregnancy for friends and family

Woodham's due date was November 14 and doctors were scheduled to induce her on Friday.

Tiffany and Zack were seated in the back of the car, that was driven by their friend Tawnya White.



37-year-old Diane Cheverier, who is married to Rowles father, Mike, was in the front seat of the van.



The car was stopped at a red light when a 2012 Silver Dodge Ram pickup truck driven by Thomas J. Dick, 37, rammed into the back of the van as the light turned to green.

The truck crushed the minivan on the left back side, where the expectant mother sat.



She died on the way to the hospital. Doctors tried to save her unborn child but the baby died.



Cheverier was airlifted to a local hospital for serious injuries.

Rowles was seated next to the mother of his child, on the right hand side of the car, and he suffered non-life threatening injuries. White, 32, was treated for bruises.



A toxicology report found that the driver, Thomas Dick who is from Tulsa, Oklahoma, had a blood alcohol content of .131, which is nearly twice the legal limit in Florida of .08.

According to the police report, he was driving 83 miles per hour in a 60 miles per hour zone.

The driver was arrested and is being charged with two counts of Vehicular Homicide, two counts of DUI Manslaughter, two counts of DUI involving Serious Bodily Injury, DUI crash involving property damage and DUI.

According to witness reports, other drivers had seen Dick's truck driving recklessly just moments before he rear-ended the minivan.



Arrested: The driver, 37-year-old Thomas Jeremy Dick, had a blood alcohol content of nearly twice the legal limit

Trauma: The driver's pickup truck rammed into the back of the minivan carrying the expectant mother, who sat on the left hand side

Her family is still stunned at the senseless tragedy.



'I can't put it to words. I'm so upset by it, I can't even cry, her brother told,' the victim's brother, Cody Breton, told the local news.



Tributes have poured in on social media for the expectant mother and her unborn child, who is being remembered by her family and her fiance, Zack, who has a daughter, Makenzie, from a previous relationship.



'Rest In Peace Tiffany and Baby Novalee. You will be in my heart and all your family will be in my prayers. Only God knows why these things happen. I will always remember you and your beautiful smile,' Tiffany's friend, Sarah Elizabeth Kent, wrote on Facebook.



Rest in Peace: Tiffany's family is grieving the loss of the 19-year-old and her unborn baby girl, she had planned to name Novalee

Kent has also organized an effort to raise money to help the family pay for a funeral expenses.

' she added in the posting.



The 19-year-old was a native of Bartow, Florida, where she attended Bartow High School.



According to her Facebook profile, she had worked in sales at Kmart since April and she had described herself as 'a simple person, With huge dreams.'

She met her fiance, Zack, in 2010 and described how they got together.



'He was really shy and didn't ask me for my number he got it secretly from one of our friends,' she said in a posting about their engagement.

'We weren't even dating a full year and he proposed to me saying he just knew I was the one,' she said.

