GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. -- Two sisters killed in a crash on Interstate 64 Sunday night were on their way home from a baby shower, family members told CBS 6 reporter Laura French. Sheila McCowan, 51, and Yolanda McCowan, 49, both of Rockville, died along the side of the interstate near Shallow Well Road (mile marker 170). Sheila's son Justin McCowan, a student at Patrick Henry High School, was also in the car. He suffered a broken collar bone and was expected to be released from the hospital later Monday or Tuesday, family members said.
The baby shower was held at the West Broad Street Shoney's where Yolanda McCowan worked. She also held jobs at the Silver Diner in Innsbrook and a SunTrust bank in Henrico's West End. Yolanda's daughters, Kiana and Kasey, were also at the baby shower. They left ahead of their mother, aunt and cousin Justin.
"She worked hard to provide for this family and was the best mom I could ever ask for," Kasey McCowan, 16, said. "I love her so much and I miss her. I just wish she never left."
After the crash, police knocked on the McCowan's door and told the daughters their aunt had had died. Later at VCU Medical Center, 16-year-old Justin McCowan told his cousins he closed his eyes before the car hit the tree and he awoke to find his deceased mother in his lap.
"He remembers everything," Kasey said.
The daughters were later informed of their mother's death.
Shelia McCowan (left) and Yolanda McCowan (center)
The McCowan's 2012 Nissan Sentra was rear-ended by a 2011 Hyundai Sonota as both vehicles headed west on Interstate 64 at about 8 p.m. Sunday, Virginia State Police said. The McCowan's car ran off the road and hit a tree. The Hyundai driver, identified as 24-year-old Andrew Chavis, of Goochland, was later charged with Driving Under the Influence.
"I just want him to know that because he chose to do something very bad, he took two people very precious for me, almost three," Kiana McCowan, 23, said.
Virginia State Police spokesman Sgt. Steve Vick said the crash was still under investigation.
Even before the accident, this week figured to be a difficult one for the McCowan family. On Wednesday, the family planned to bury a family member who passed away from cancer. Now, even more funeral arrangements must be made.
"Tomorrow's not promised," Kiana McCowan said. "They can be here with you one moment and just like that, they're gone."
