A family in Johannesburg is mourning the devastating loss of two daughters after a tragic car crash earlier this month that left their older sister fighting for her life.
Cassidy Moodley, 22, and her sister Connor, 24, died after their vehicle crashed while returning from a family celebration in Cape Town. Their older sister Storm, 27, survived with serious injuries. Thanks to the help of a passerby, Storm was able to call their mother from the crash site, a moment that continues to haunt their family.
The sisters had just spent a joyous weekend at their cousin Keeran Poonawassy’s graduation — the first major family gathering since their grandfather’s passing. But only two days later, their mother, Janene Moodley, 49, received the most devastating call of her life.
According to their uncle, Lance Poonawassy, the sisters’ car blew a tire near Britstown in the Klein Karoo valley, causing it to veer off the road and roll hundreds of meters. All three sisters were thrown from the vehicle. By the time emergency help arrived, Cassidy and Connor were unconscious. Storm, though gravely injured, was able to give a stranger her mother’s number.
“She was totally distraught,” Lance recalled of Janene’s reaction. “She was in absolute shock.”
Connor and Cassidy later died on the way to the hospital. Storm suffered head trauma and deep bruising but survived. She was discharged from the hospital after several days and is now recovering at home.
Janene, a single mother, had raised her daughters in Johannesburg, where they lived together and shared a tight-knit bond. Cassidy was studying to complete her teaching degree, Connor had recently been promoted at work, and Storm was navigating her career in finance. “They were well on their way to reaching their dreams,” their uncle said.
The family held funerals for Cassidy and Connor on Sept. 20. Ahead of the service, Janene shared her heartbreak on social media, writing: “My poppet, losing you and Cass is, by far, [the] greatest weight I’ve ever had to carry. In pieces [right now].”
Tributes have poured in from loved ones, including the sisters’ alma mater, Roosevelt High School, which remembered them as “the very definition of sunshine in human form.”
For now, Storm and Janene are clinging to each other as they face the difficult road ahead. “They would do everything together with their mom,” Lance said. “And it’s absolutely difficult for her now.”
