Family of four from Grosse Pointe Park killed in Colorado

(WJBK) - The Grosse Pointe Park community is mourning a tragic loss after a family of four was killed in a car crash while on vacation. 

The Toth family was vacationing in Colorado when the crash happened on Interstate 76 near Sterling, Colo., which is about 130 miles northeast of Denver. 

The Colorado State Patrol says Thomas Toth, 48, and Christina Daskas-Toth, 48, died early Saturday when their van hit a jackknifed semi. The patrol says the Toth's van was eastbound when it hit the semi, going underneath it. The collision ripped the roof off the van.

Sonja Franchett, principal at Maire Elementary in Grosse Point said the crash also killed the couple's daughters -- 11-year-old Sophia and 8-year-old Elianna. She said the family was on vacation.

She added that the girls were lively and vibrant, and loved by both adults and students at Maire. Support will be on hand as everyone returns to class after spring break on Monday. 

Close friends say Tom worked in the automotive industry for close to three decades. He was a huge music fan, who especially liked The Grateful Dead and Widespread Panic. Christina was an accomplished and respected attorney who, we are told, cared about what happened to her clients even after the case was over. But more than anything they loved being parents; their two adoptive daughters were their world.

"It's hard for me to comprehend what's happened, really. I'm still having a hard time," family friend George Petrouleas said.

Their neighbors, who knew the family for years, feel the same way. 

"They were just very considerate and thoughtful and a very loving family," Jan Goike said. "We'll always think of their family. You can't help but think of them and see Tom out there, and the kids on their bikes riding up and down. It just seems so unfair. They were such wonderful people."

Their mother once worked with the Wayne County Prosecutors Office. The office issued a statement:

"Christina was a lovely person and a respected prosecutor. In recent years she has been a defense attorney using her passion and expertise to represent her clients. The loss of Daskas-Toth family is tragic loss and will affect so many. Our love and thoughts are with her extended family and friends," Maria Miller said.