REDWOOD CITYThe identities of the two killed in a fiery crash Friday night in Redwood City have been confirmed as a beloved mother and father who lived in San Carlos.
Greg Ammen, 44, and Grace Spiridon, 42, parents to 7-year old twin girls, died after their car was struck by a vehicle around 8 p.m. Nov. 4 at El Camino Real and Finger Avenue. The 17-year-old driver of the other vehicle and its two passengers were taken to a hospital, authorities said after the crash.
In a statement released this week, city leaders acknowledged the tragic nature of the crash and the plight of the two young children now left without parents.
“This was a tragic event for all involved. On behalf of the Redwood City City Council, we extend our deepest sympathies to the two young children who tragically lost their parents,” said Redwood City Mayor Giselle Hale. She added that the city was providing grief and stress counseling to first responders, students and others who may have been affected by the trauma.
Police have not said whether they believed the crash caused by a criminal act.
“This remains a very active, ongoing investigation and more information will be released as soon as it is available,” said Redwood City Police Chief Dan Mulholland. “There are no words to express the magnitude of this loss. We are all mourning this tragedy together.”
The couple were both Peninsula locals and graduated from Palo Alto High School, according to their Facebook pages. Ammen was an audio engineer at Dolby, while Spiridon worked at Google.
Michael Ammen, Greg’s brother, told Palo Alto Online that “Greg always put Grace and his family first … (They) were the light of every party they went to,” he added. “They were social magnets bringing people from all over together for fun.”
Dozens of family, friends and acquaintances made donations and contributed condolences to the family through a GoFundMe page set up Monday by a relative. As of Wednesday afternoon, $372,452 of the fundraiser’s $600,000 goal had been raised.
“I worked with Grace at Google and she was a wonderful colleague who regularly shared stories about her two daughters,” Zoltan Szabadi said in a public GoFundMe comment, along with a donation. “I am deeply saddened about this tragic loss. Her daughters and family are in my thoughts.”
Money raised on GoFundMe was designated for the couple’s daughters’ “immediate and future care,” sister Liza Spiridon wrote.
Contact staff writer Austin Turner at aturner@bayareanewsgroup.com.
Source: www.mercurynews.com