Over the weekend, a husband lost his wife and all their children when the car they were traveling in at high speed crashed into another vehicle. Neighbors and loved ones have since fondly remembered the mother and her children.
According to the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), a rental Jeep Cherokee SUV was traveling south in the far-right lane from Raleigh, North Carolina, when it struck the back of a sedan. GSP revealed that a woman, Reagan Dougan, 27, was driving the car with her children as passengers.
Reagan was heading to meet her husband, Christian Dougan, in Florida. A witness recalled seeing the SUV hit the center guardrail before it burst into flames. Authorities stated that the rental vehicle was “traveling at a high rate of speed” early that Sunday morning.
The GSP confirmed that the five occupants of the SUV, including a nine-year-old boy, a four-year-old boy, a two-year-old girl, and a three-month-old boy, were pronounced deceased at the scene. The passenger in the other vehicle was transported to the hospital.
Authorities closed the I-95 for four hours following the crash. An official at the scene recalled witnessing the Jeep completely burned down. He confirmed that the white Infiniti four-door sedan had been hit in the rear. The GSP emphasized that these findings were preliminary as the crash investigation remained ongoing.
Since their passing, Reagan’s loved ones in Florida and her neighbors have fondly remembered her. A Raleigh neighbor, Christopher “Jonesy” Butler-Jones, admitted, “I’m still in shock,” adding, “(Her husband) lost his entire family. It’s just heart-wrenching.”
Neighbors shared that the Dougan family was new to North Carolina, having moved a few months earlier to a bigger house in a Raleigh cul-de-sac. Loved ones said it had been about a year since Reagan and her family moved to Raleigh.
Butler-Jones remembered Reagan as a “devoted mother,” a sentiment echoed by her friends in Florida. He said, “That was one of her dreams, is to always have an amazing family and be a mother. She was very dedicated. Her kids were everything to her.”
The neighbor recalled how the late mother had been there for him and his family after 2024’s Hurricane Milton took everything from them. He shared, “When my kid came out of his room yesterday, he happened to have on the shirt, shorts, everything that was an outfit that she sent.”
Butler-Jones continued, “There was a very warm, comforting feeling. It kind of allowed me to be able to start seeing that there is going to be a light at the end of the tunnel.” He remembered his friend as a “very loving, and kind person,” someone you could call when upset because she would make you happy.
The neighbor concluded, “She’s going to show you the brighter side of it.” Another neighbor, Jason Flores, recalled, “We always waved to each other. She always had a smile on her face. The kids were always happy. Their food always smelled good when they cooked it.” However, they never got to spend time together as neighbors.
Flores admitted he could not fathom how they were there one day and gone the next. According to a news report, the Dougan family was described as “sweet and joyful,” with the children often playing in the family yard and the boys climbing trees.
Following the family’s death, Christian’s stepmother, Sarah Stoltman, helped create a GoFundMe account aiming to raise $35,000 on his behalf. At the time of writing, the fundraiser had reached 75 percent of its goal, amounting to $26,309.
In the fundraiser text, Stoltman explained, “While Christian works with his and Reagan’s family to begin mourning these five beautiful souls, we cannot even fathom the financial burden it is going to endure moving his family from Georgia to their final resting place in Florida.”