A fatal car accident, happened about ten miles east of Dayton, when a cattle trailer began to fishtail, causing Daniel Holley's truck to crash into an oncoming pickup.
Mike Benjamin worked with three of the victims. "It's been a horrific, horrific situation on the entire company," Benjamin said. "These people are not our employees. They are our family members. To have something like this hit our company and those people is something you just can't imagine."
The three victims, inside the truck that was hit head-on, all worked at Pioneer Crossing Casinos.
They are 47-year-old Troy Sibson, 52-year-old Mike Sotka, and 30-year-old Jason Counterman. All of them lived in Fernley. A car wash and bake sale fundraiser for Counterman's family will be held this Sunday at Big R Stores in Fallon from 10am to 2pm. It's located at 3325 Reno Highway. Their phone number is (775) 423-8555.
The fourth victim rode in Holley's truck. 18-year-old Ford Tucker of Fallon was the son of the Holley's pastor.
As you can imagine it's been a rough few days for family and friends of all the victims.
At the Pioneer Crossing Casinos, in both Fernley and Dayton, grief counselors have been brought in to help.
"All three were men of character," Benjamin said. "That's the way I would describe it. Troy, in particular. He was the leader of our Fernley operation and in your life, you meet two or three people that have that extra spark, in life. Troy had that spark."
"In the wake of this horrible tragedy, our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends of these incredible men," said Mike Melarkey, CEO & Owner of Pioneer Crossing Casino.
A statement from Pioneer Crossing Casino says, "Sibson was a longtime team member of the casino and played a vital role in its business success. Sotka had been with the casino for several years as well, successfully working with both the Dayton and Fernley locations. Counterman was just settling into his new role in Maintenance when this devastating accident took his life. Their absence will be felt throughout the casino, as well as the entire community."
The casino will hold a celebration of life to honor the team members and friends that were lost. Details of the event have not yet been finalized.
The three survivors of this tragedy are members of the Holley family, who are fourth generation farmers, in Dayton.
19-year old Daniel is recovering from burns and a broken femur, at UC-Davis.
His father, Rob, and sister, Anna, have been released from the hospital.
"They would do anything for you," Jaci Goodman said. "The Holley's would take the shirt off their back for you."
Family friends are doing what they can to raise money to help pay for medical bills and help out on the farm.
You might not know the Holley's, but you may have bought meat or eggs raised on their farm.
Wendy Baroli has known the Holley's for just one year but clearly they've touched her life.
She's in charge of the fundraising effort for the family and says they've already raised $1,800 for them.
But she says there is a long way to go, and helping is a way to put prayers to action.
"$20 or an offer to go pull weeds or pack egg crates or lend your car or send a $20 gas card," Baroli said. "All of those things empower you to belong to something again."
Witnesses to the accident are encouraged to call NHP Trooper Doug Hildebrand at 775-689-4623 with more information.
An account has been set up to help the Holley family pay for their medical bills and the cost of the cattle lost in the accident.
To donate, just head to any Wells Fargo Branch and ask for the Holley Family Farms Donation Fund or go to http://tinyurl.com/hffdonationfund
Pioneer Crossing Casinos tell us they plan to set up an account for the families of the other three victims as well. We'll let you know when we get that information.
The Holley's are going to be the featured farmers in "Edible Reno Tahoe" magazine on September 8th.
Written by Paul Nelson
