Daughter of Willard women killed in crash says more should be done about drunk driving

Losing a parent is never easy. But Ariana Smith, 19, and her two brothers lost two of their parents in one fell swoop, after their moms Ronica Tollison, 37, and Britany Toothman, 34, both of Willard, were killed in a crash over the weekend.

Around 5 a.m. on Sunday, Smith said she was woken up by a knock on her door. It was the police informing her that Tollison and Toothman had died hours earlier in a crash at the intersection of West Bypass and Chestnut Expressway in Springfield.

"I know everyone says it feels like a dream, but it felt like I wasn't awake," Smith said.

Smith said car accidents are one of her biggest fears, a fear her moms shared, after Smith lost her best friend in a similar crash just one year prior.

"I don't even drive," she said.

After Smith learned that the man who crashed into her moms had been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, she said she was angry.

"I was angry at first that someone could take their careless and selfish self and get behind the wheel," she said. "This was preventable."

She added that she wished more could be done to prevent what happened.

"I just think there needs to be more done about drunk driving," she said. "I'm just mad about the situation."

But now, she said that anger has faded.

More: Driver arrested on suspicion of DWI in crash that killed 2 Willard women, police say

"They told me he was so drunk he didn't even know what he did," Smith said. "When they got him up the first thing he said was 'What did I do? Did I hurt anyone?'"

The impaired driver has since died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Springfield Police Department confirmed Tuesday.

Smith said her mom, Tollison, had been in a relationship with Toothman for over a decade, adding that the pair had co-parented her and her brothers with one of her brother's fathers.

"They always made sure that we always had everything that we needed," Smith said. "There were times they literally didn't eat to make sure we ate. I mean they went without so that we could go with."

Smith said her moms were her biggest supporters.

"They were everyone's backbone," she said. "When something happened they were always the first ones there to support someone. My moms literally dropped everything to help everyone."

Smith said more than being her moms they were also her best friends.

"They talked to us about literally everything," she said. "And to be able to have that relationship, a bond like that with your parents, is so incredibly beautiful.

Smith said she's going to miss listening to them sing their song, family UNO games and getting Dominos together.

"It's hard to say just one thing I'll miss most," she said. "I'm going to miss everything."

Smith said she feels lucky that she got to have them in her life as long as she did.

"They were the funniest people I have ever met in my entire life and they were the most supportive people anyone could have," she said. "I'm grateful I got to be a part of those two beautiful souls."

Services for Tollison and Toothman will be held next Friday, June 24 at 1 p.m. at GreenLawn funeral home on East Seminole St.

Smith has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for the funeral expenses, and those interested in donating can go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ron-brit?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp%20share-sheet&fs=e&s=cl&fbclid=IwAR3zSRN1ylpHjJy11lFQCjfkw7yjmIeMIq_jRMFWRP7POYeGYyIyR_g-VGA

Jordan Meier covers public safety for the Springfield News-Leader. Contact her at jmeier@news-leader.com, or on Twitter @Jordan_Meier644.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Daughter mourns Willard women killed in weekend crash