TURNPIKE TRAGEDY – Astoria girl, 4, survives killer crash

An Astoria family was ripped apart by a deadly car crash on the New Jersey Turnpike on Monday, August 14, taking the lives of Charles and Theresa Christmas and their two-year old daughter Victoria, leaving four-year-old Theresa as the sole survivor. Rescuers pulled Theresa from the crash scene and transported her by helicopter to University Hospital in Newark. After hearing the news, one of Charles' sisters who lives in New Jersey rushed to the hospital that night to be with four-year-old Theresa, according to Loretta Dagliolo, who is Theresa's aunt and the children's great-aunt. Dagliolo, 83, lives one block away from the family and often babysat for her grand nieces when their mother needed a sitter.
&#8220She [four-year-old Theresa] doesn't talk much, but they fear she saw a lot,” said Dagliolo. &#8220What could she possibly know about death?”
Dagliolo said she was told that Theresa had suffered scratches and bruises, and that she could be released from the hospital to an aunt in New Jersey as early as Tuesday, August 15. However, as of Wednesday morning, Theresa still remained in the hospital.
Shortly after 1:30 p.m., an 18-wheel truck carrying a load of bricks spun out of control in Teaneck near the George Washington Bridge, crossed the median and smashed into three other vehicles including the Christmas' Nissan.
Charles, 40, a chef, and Theresa, 41, a speech therapist at Louis Armstrong Middle School, were married for six years and were on their way back from vacation in Ocean City, Maryland at the time of the accident.
&#8220This is really the first vacation with the two children,” Dagliolo said. &#8220She [her niece Theresa] wanted to go to New Jersey, but one of her friends told her Ocean City is more fun for children so they could have the rides and water so they decided to go there.”
Relatives described the two girls as inseparable and full of energy - always playing outside, dancing and riding their bicycles. They also said that the two children were close with their parents.
&#8220[Charles] was a stay-at-home father,” said another aunt and Dagliolo's sister, Vivian Galindo, 67, who also lived within blocks of the Christmas family. &#8220He was very close [to the kids] especially with the child that survived.”
The crash, which also killed Norma Ryan, of Voorhees, New Jersey and injured her two children and another Bronx woman, backed up traffic for miles on the Turnpike on Monday.
Authorities are investigating the crash and questioning the driver of the 18-wheeler, Port Jefferson resident Dimitrius Tseperkas, to determine whether they should file charges.
Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.
&#8220I blame the driver; he shouldn't have been on the road,” said Dagliolo, who saw the crash on the 5 o'clock news Monday night, but did not find out it was her relatives until reporters came to her apartment later that night. &#8220He [the driver] took the only family I had left.”