SuckaInA3Piece
02.14.05, 10:37 AM
DAVIE, Fla. -- A Cherry Hill couple who traveled to Florida to care for an ailing relative have been killed in a fiery fuel tanker crash.
Florida authorities say 52-year-old Alan Klein and his 49-year-old wife, Debbie, died Saturday when the tanker crushed their car. The crash sparked a fire that burned hot enough to melt aluminum on a curving highway ramp.
Alan Klein's sister, Gloria Halpern, and another person also died in the crash. And the tanker driver remains hospitalized.
Halpern -- the mother of Washington Capitals hockey star Jeff Halpern -- had been caring for her ill father, and the Kleins had come to help out.
Alan Klein owned auto body shops and was a real estate investor, while his wife worked for the Philadelphia Stock Exchange.
"They were in that car, said Leon Levy, a family friend who spoke with NBC 10. "His name will not be forgotten."
Jeff Halpern has been playing for the Kloten Flyers in the Swiss Elite League during the NHL lockout. His mother was active in the Capitals' youth hockey program.
"Everyone in the Capitals family will truly miss Gloria. She was a longtime fan and part of the fabric of the hockey community," team president Dick Patrick said in a statement.
Flavio Santisteban, who had just filled his 9,000-gallon tanker at nearby Port Everglades, was hospitalized in fair condition after he and one of the car's victims jumped into a nearby pond in flames. No charges have been filed, but the investigation is ongoing.
Motorist Maria Thompson said the truck cut her off and was speeding on the ramp before toppling. She said she backed her car off the blocked ramp to get clear.
Rescue crews stayed away for two hours from the intense fire, punctuated by explosions as flames climbed 30 feet in the air. :(
Florida authorities say 52-year-old Alan Klein and his 49-year-old wife, Debbie, died Saturday when the tanker crushed their car. The crash sparked a fire that burned hot enough to melt aluminum on a curving highway ramp.
Alan Klein's sister, Gloria Halpern, and another person also died in the crash. And the tanker driver remains hospitalized.
Halpern -- the mother of Washington Capitals hockey star Jeff Halpern -- had been caring for her ill father, and the Kleins had come to help out.
Alan Klein owned auto body shops and was a real estate investor, while his wife worked for the Philadelphia Stock Exchange.
"They were in that car, said Leon Levy, a family friend who spoke with NBC 10. "His name will not be forgotten."
Jeff Halpern has been playing for the Kloten Flyers in the Swiss Elite League during the NHL lockout. His mother was active in the Capitals' youth hockey program.
"Everyone in the Capitals family will truly miss Gloria. She was a longtime fan and part of the fabric of the hockey community," team president Dick Patrick said in a statement.
Flavio Santisteban, who had just filled his 9,000-gallon tanker at nearby Port Everglades, was hospitalized in fair condition after he and one of the car's victims jumped into a nearby pond in flames. No charges have been filed, but the investigation is ongoing.
Motorist Maria Thompson said the truck cut her off and was speeding on the ramp before toppling. She said she backed her car off the blocked ramp to get clear.
Rescue crews stayed away for two hours from the intense fire, punctuated by explosions as flames climbed 30 feet in the air. :(