18-Year-Old Son, Mom Die in Crash While Returning from Orientation ArticlePure

An 18-year-old teen and his mother were traveling home from his college orientation in New York state last week when they were killed in a car crash, authorities said.

A 2018 Nissan Maxima was traveling westbound on Interstate 86 in New York on July 19 just before 5 p.m. local time when the vehicle “crossed over the median” and struck a 2015 Acura RDX traveling eastbound, according to a news release from New York State Police.

Inside the Acura were 18-year-old Colin J. Ferrell and 44-year-old Tiffany L. Ferrell, both of Endicott, state police said.

Colin, Tiffany and 36-year-old Steven A. Mallory, the Horseheads man who was driving the Maxima at the time of the crash, were all pronounced dead at the scene.

The mother and son were “traveling home from college orientation” when the fatal crash occurred, according to Melinda Spooner, who organized a GoFundMe campaign for the Ferrell family following their deaths.

An investigation into the crash is ongoing, per state police.

More than $105,000 has been raised through the fundraiser — less than 72 hours after it was posted.  

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“We are asking for prayers for [Tiffany’s] husband Dan, son Landon, and daughter Olivia,” Spooner wrote.

Spooner said Tiffany had “the largest heart” and was always “there for everyone,” adding, “She was full of life and could make anyone smile and laugh. She had so much love to give.”

Meanwhile, Colin “was the most likable and respectful person you would ever meet,” according to Spooner. “He would be anyone’s friend and always willing to lend a helping hand,” she added.

Colin graduated from Union-Endicott High School in 2024, according to a statement from district superintendent Nicole Wolfe and high school principal Steven DiStefano, per the Binghamton Press and Sun Bulletin. Tiffany was also an active volunteer for the school.

“Colin was a kind and compassionate student who loved playing baseball, and Tiffany was a dedicated volunteer for the district, involved in many school and community-related endeavors,” the school officials said.

School officials did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

A separate GoFundMe campaign was started for Mallory, and has raised more than $5,000. Organizers noted that the crash occurred “just 6 weeks after his family suffered the loss of his mother.”

“He was loved by not only his family, but by his family of coworkers and friends,” the organizers wrote. “Steven was a loving father, brother and was always there to help out anyone else whenever they asked.”