Veteran injured in crash that killed wife

Reporter: Olivia Jean
Published: Updated:

WINK News has learned that a veteran’s wife was killed in a crash on Wednesday on State Road 82.

The crash impacted hundreds of drivers, and the veteran, now a widower, is in the ICU with severe injuries.

Now, other veterans are rallying around him and offering him support as he works to recover while grieving the love of his life.

This wasn’t just any crash. It shut down both east and westbound lanes of State Road 82, a road that has taken many lives before.

The Florida Highway Patrol told WINK News it was a head-on collision, involving four vehicles.

The driver of a van rear-ended the car in front of him while heading west on 82. That impact forced the van into oncoming traffic, hitting two SUV’s. One belonged to the Lees.

In a second, your life can change. That’s what happened to Ronnie Lee when his wife, Leigh, was killed in a car crash on Wednesday morning.

Jennifer Morgan, one of the couple’s good friends, spoke to WINK News about her “best friend” Leigh.

“She had a heart bigger than the moon, and would have done anything for anyone,” Morgan said.

She went on to say, “I would like her to be remembered for the amazing person that she was. She was, you know, to me, she was my best friend, and she was just one of those people that made you smile. She loved her husband more than anything.”

Ronnie, an army vet and an aspiring special education teacher is now in the ICU. He has had to have multiple surgeries due to a broken jaw, back, ribs, and ankles.

“If he needs anything, he’ll have it. That’s what we do for our comrades. He’s a combat veteran. He deserves our support. So, I mean, we’re there for whatever, and he knows that,” Shannon Rousey, the Quartermaster of Veterans of Foreign Wars and a family friend to the couple said.

Rousey points to the need for change.

“Everybody wants to see some kind of safety improvement on 82 I mean, it’s every day, it’s every day,” Rousey said.

Leigh worked in the Lee County school system with special needs kids and was in the process of completing her bachelor’s in nursing. She leaves behind her husband and two boys, Dylan and Dalton.

Veterans of Foreign Wars and friends of the couple are planning a fundraiser on Feb. 1 at 4 p.m.

If you want to help out the Lee’s and make a donation, you can call the Veterans of Foreign Wars phone number, which is 239-369-5100.

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