A cutting of blue hydrangea marks the spot in Rocky Fuller’s yard where twin 3-year-old boys were found after they were hit by an alleged drunk driver on Friday afternoon.
Fuller was working in his backyard when he heard the crash. As he came around a corner, he saw Mollie Egold, 33, of Albion lying in his driveway and then her twins another 20 feet or so beyond.
As he ran inside to grab his cellphone and call 911, another passing driver stopped and started performing CPR.
Egold was walking to a store with the two boys in a cart when Benjamin Lancester, 44, of Albion allegedly drove drunk and hit the family. Bradley died at the scene while Noah was air lifted to a Portland hospital in critical condition. Noah was pronounced brain dead Sunday morning, according to a GoFundMe for the family.
Egold has serious injuries and is still in the hospital, the GoFundMe said.
Lancaster is charged with seven felonies, including manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident causing serious bodily injury or death. He had his first appearance Monday and was granted a $100,000 bail, which he had not posted at the time of publication.
By the time Fuller made it to the front of the house, the only sign of the driver were car parts strewn about his lawn.
“If you hit something, you stop,” Fuller said.
From his driveway, within feet of where Lancaster allegedly hit the family, the line of sight is clear, Fuller said. The road is straight and relatively flat, allowing people to see for hundreds of feet.
“There’s no rhyme or reason,” Fuller said.
After the crash, Fuller and his wife placed a blue hydrangea to mark where the boys were thrown. Once it wilts, one of the only reminders will be the bits of car plastic still in the grass.
Egold worked at 202 General Store in town, her co-worker Elsie Barnett said. When Egold wasn’t working, she would walk about a mile to the shop with her twins to get them a snack.
She was quiet but very nice, Barnett said. No one ever expected Albion to have a crash like that.
“We’re all very sad for her and her family,” Barnett said. “It’s just tragic, tragic, tragic.”
