FISHERS, Ind. — A Fishers father, whose twin 17-year-old daughters were killed in a crash earlier this month, is sharing his push for justice and his hope to create a legacy project in memory of the girls.
Two weeks after the deadly crash, Andy Gaddis says his grief is still raw and he's just trying to put one foot in front of the other.
In his Fishers home, he's surrounded by memories and memories of his twin daughters, Elleana and Isabella Gaddis.
"They were joy, just perfect joy," Gaddis said. "They're everywhere. If you look around, everything in here has meaning."
But his home now feels achingly empty.
"The permanence of knowing like...I'll never see that again," he said, looking at their photo on the mantle.
Two weeks ago, Elle and Belle as their friends called them, "Els" and "Mia" as dad nicknamed them, along with their friend Bri Foster, were killed in a crash in South Carolina.
Their friend Maci Walts was the only survivor.
A Hummer going the wrong way on the interstate hit their car head-on.
Prosecutors say the Hummer was stolen and its driver, 43-year-old Melissa Parker, was under the influence.
At the time of the crash, the girls were on a beach trip – what was supposed to be a last summer hurrah.
"The day they left, I kissed them both 11 times and just touched their foreheads and told them I loved them and that was it. Sucks," Gaddis said, glancing around the room. "It's so...quiet...you know?"
Gaddis shared the final text messages he had with his girls.
They show Elle reassuring her dad they were OK, driving well, staying safe.
Then the conversation cuts off.
A series of question marks came from dad, with no response.
Prosecutors say the driver accused of hitting them ran off after the crash.
They say surveillance video shows Parker stealing the Hummer at a gas station minutes earlier.
Gaddis calls her a coward.
He's pushing for the maximum punishment. Justice for a preventable tragedy.
"There isn't enough bad that can come her way," he said. "There just is not. And that doesn't sound graceful, because it's not graceful. And ordinarily, I'm that guy. I will pass the grace. I will extend it. But with regard to this lady, I've got no compassion. I've got no grace. There's no forgiveness. There's not even a hint of it."
This grieving father is also now figuring out a mission, some sort of positive project for his daughters' legacy, to make a difference for others.
He says perhaps that's a campaign against drunk driving or a foundation in the girls' names or a support team for families in trauma.
"There's going to be a mission. There is a mission, it's just as yet undefined. I want people to see me. I want this to be heard. I don't do anything halfway," Gaddis said.
His twins would have turned 18 on Sunday.
Dad wants to make sure they are never forgotten.
"They were the greatest."
There is a GoFundMe set up for the Gaddis family to help with funeral expenses and bills. You can find the link here.
There is also a GoFundMe set up for Brianna Foster. You can find that by clicking here.