Local mom trying to take care of family after losing husband in crash on dangerous road

Erin Huggins and two of her daughters were trailing her husband on their cross-country drive from California to Clay County.

PHOTOS: Local mom trying to take care of family after losing husband in crash on dangerous road

They witnessed the crash that claimed his life in March.

“I was reaching for him, screaming, ‘Stay with me Jay, stay with me!’” Erin said.

The crash left the family's belongings scattered across I-10 near Baton Rouge after Jeremiah Huggins' moving truck hit the back of a semitrailer.

His 9-year-old daughter was with him -- she survived.

Erin says two semitrailers were stopped in the right lane with no warning.

“He was a wonderful man and this accident should have never happened," Huggins said.

The crash happened along a stretch of interstate called "The Devil's Triangle."

According to a report by "The Advocate," the Louisiana Department of Transportation said there were 235 crashes in that area from January 2015 to April 2018.

Erin said she's determined to push for changes to make the dangerous stretch safer.

“I’m not going to stop until something is done,” Erin said.

She and her family are now forced to go on without their husband, father and provider.

“I need a home. I need a job. I’m very dependable. I'm a hard working person," Erin said, adding she can't afford to make payments on the family's SUV, which is still adorned with stickers her husband picked out.

Erin said she's determined to stay strong for their daughters because that's what Jeremiah would want her to do.

She said he would tell her to “Keep fighting baby! Keep fighting.  Keep our family together.”

Erin says she's trying to find a job doing clerical work.

If you would like to help the family, they are also collecting donations on Gofundme and Facebook.

Cox Media Group