San Francisco 49er tight end Delanie Walker’s aunt and uncle were killed by a suspected drunk driver in a fiery crash just hours after watching their nephew and the Niners lose a heart-breaker, 34-31, in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Alice and Bryan Young had pulled over on I-10 in St. Charles Parish, La. After 5:30 a.m. a 2002 Mercedes C230 driven “at a high rate of speed” by Nechole Thomas, 26, of Houston, slammed into the rear of the Youngs’ Nissan Altima, setting both cars on fire, according to the Louisiana State Police. The two were pronounced dead at the scene.
“Alice and Bryan Young my aunt and uncle (were) killed on Monday at 5 am after the super bowl by a drunk,” Walker posted to his Twitter account Wednesday. “Im going to miss y’all but i know they are in a better place.”
Niners CEO Jed York tweeted Wednesday: “We are praying for you and your family.”
Trent Baalke, Niners general manager, also issued a statement: “We extend our deepest sympathies and prayers to Delanie and his family as they grieve this tragedy. Our organization is here to support Delanie through this tough time, as we do with all of our players and staff. At this time, we will respect their family’s privacy and ask others to do so as well.”
Thomas, who suffered minor injuries in the crash, faces two counts of vehicular homicide, DWI and reckless operation, according to police. Toxicology tests to determine whether she was intoxicated are pending at Louisiana State Police Crime Lab.
