ST. CLOUD — A local community is standing by a family who lost two loved ones in a deadly wrong-way crash on the Fourth of July.

What You Need To Know

  •  Head-on crash takes lives of St. Cloud father, son on July 4

  • Michael Skipper's wife Jen, daughter Addie were in a car not involved

  • The driver of the other car in the wreck died, too

  • Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating the accident

After celebrating the Fourth of July together, a St. Cloud family headed home separately. The car that Michael “Skip” and his son, 14-year-old Mikey Skipper, were in would never make it. Another vehicle driving the wrong way on County Road 523 and Sullivan Road, hit them head-on, authorities said.

The driver of the other vehicle died, too, authorities said.

The father-son duo leave behind wife Jen and 7-year-old Addie.

“You took two very important people from our family . . . that we will never get back,” Wendy Durinick, the grandmother of Mikey and mother-in-law of “Skip” said.

Florida Highway Patrol is still investigating. 

The community has since rallied for this family, raising $50,000 for funeral expenses through a GoFundMe page that family friend Angie Redman set up.

“The outpour of the community reminds me why I still live in St. Cloud… No matter how it’s grown, how it’s changed, this will always be my home because I know they always take care of their people,” Redman said. 

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