Grieving mother remembers son, 13, killed in Jersey shore crash: 'He will always be in my heart'

MIDDLE TWP., N.J. (WPVI) -- A grieving mother is speaking out after a devastating crash at the Jersey shore left her 13-year-old son dead and her husband seriously injured.

"I just kept thinking this is the last time I'll see my son. It's not fair," said Colleen Yoachum in an emotional interview with Action News on Friday.

Colleen says no parent should ever have to bury their child, and now she must face this heartache.

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"My son was so good. He was such a good kid," she said.

Her son, 13-year-old Chase Yoachum, was in a car with his father, Michael, when they were both struck by another driver early Monday morning in Middle Township. The family was driving home to Deptford after spending the weekend at a campground.

Middle Township police say the two were traveling on Court House-South Dennis Road when a 26-year-old driver entered the northbound lanes, trying to pass a car, and struck Michael's vehicle.

Colleen rushed to the hospital, where doctors tearfully told her Chase didn't survive.

"They did everything, and I was at the foot of his bed just holding his feet and telling him I was there and to fight and fight," she recalled. "I knew there was nothing that was going to bring him back."

Colleen says it was difficult to leave her son's side, who, even at such a young age, made the world a better place.

"He was funny and smart and athletic. You could see he wore his heart on his sleeve," she said.

The Deptford Township School District superintendent said in a statement, "Chase was a son, a brother, a hugger, a friend, a classmate, a teammate, a fellow Boy Scout, and a kind, sweet soul. His passing is profoundly felt by all who knew and loved him."

Colleen says she'll miss Chase's physical presence, but he'll always be here, and they'll always be a family of five.

"He will always be in my heart. He will go everywhere with me. I will never forget about him," she says.

Her husband was airlifted to an area hospital after the crash. Colleen said she wasn't sure if he was going to survive, but he miraculously fought and was taken off a ventilator after being stabilized. He suffered several fractures and still has a long road to recovery, she said.

Middle Township police say the crash is still under investigation. There was no word on whether any charges have been filed.

A vigil will be held on July 8 Cattell Complex in Wenonah.