A Camp Pendleton Marine moving his family to Louisiana is dealing with tragedy during the holidays after a crash killed his brother-in-law and left his own wife laying in a hospital bed.
The Ball family was having a great holiday vacation. They visited national parks on their move from Oceanside to Louisiana where dad, Staff Sergeant Evan Ball is getting stationed in the Marine Corps. But, things took a terrible turn three days before Christmas on an icy highway.
"I saw my G6 destroyed, all my family's stuff everywhere," said Ball. "My heart sank at that point, I pretty much just fell apart. I saw my brother-in-law on the ground."
His wife and brother-in-law were in a separate car following him. They lost control and crashed with a tractor trailer near Farmington, New Mexico.
Ball had his two sons in his car.
"I got in the back of the van with them and I hugged them and said mom and uncle Steve were in a wreck and we just need to pray for them right now," said Ball.
Brother-in-law Steve Marrow died instantly. Ball's wife, Ashley is in critical condition.
"Her diaphragm was injured so they had to cut her open and check for internal injuries," said Ball. "She had some broken ribs."
Ball says he remembers the last conversation he had with his wife and brother-in-law, hours before Marrow's life would end. They talked about what they wanted to do with the children on Christmas.
Ball ended up giving his kids the best Christmas he could. Both of his sons played in the snow. "My kids were my rocks, and I was their rock," said Ball.
The family has set up a GoFundMe account for funeral and medical expenses.
