It is hard to wrap your head around a tragedy that happens when someone is just trying to do the right thing. The Wytheville community is completely heartbroken right now over the sudden loss of Candace Keith. The 37-year-old woman lost her life early Sunday morning in a wild, unpredictable chain-reaction wreck on Interstate 77. She was just standing in the grass waiting for help after an earlier accident.
The whole nightmare started around 4:30 a.m. on June 28. Candace and her companion, 36-year-old Jonathan Cudo, were traveling southbound on I-77 in a Ford F-150 pickup truck. Suddenly, a deer darted out into the dark highway near mile marker 11. The truck hit the animal hard, leaving the pickup completely disabled right there in the left lane.
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Knowing it was dangerous to stay inside a broken-down truck on a dark interstate, Candace and Jonathan did what most safety experts recommend. They got out of the F-150 and stepped into the grassy median to stay out of harm’s way. They thought they were safe from the flow of traffic while they waited for emergency responders to arrive.
But things took a terrifying turn just moments later. A 2021 Toyota Sienna minivan was coming down the highway heading south. The driver saw the disabled pickup truck blocking the lane and tried to react. Instead, the minivan spun completely out of control, veered off the asphalt, and plowed right into the median where Candace and Jonathan were standing.
The impact was devastating. Emergency crews rushed to the scene as fast as they could, but there was nothing they could do to save Candace. She passed away right there on the scene from her injuries. Jonathan suffered severe injuries and was rushed to a local hospital for emergency treatment.
State troopers identified the minivan driver as 60-year-old Lee Gaddies from Charlotte, North Carolina. He also sustained major injuries in the crash and had to be hospitalized. Investigators looked into the wreck and quickly slapped Gaddies with a reckless driving charge for losing control of his vehicle.
Now, a massive void is left behind in Southwest Virginia. Friends say Candace was a bright light who loved cooking, baking, and lifting up everyone around her. Heartfelt tributes are pouring in for the Keith family as they process this unimaginable shock. The family plans to announce her final memorial services at a later date.
