Father who lost wife and 3 kids in accident: 'I'm being as strong as I can'

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Jacksonville, FL — Navy corpsman Dexter Culclager was with his wife and three children on the Buckman Bridge on Monday afternoon when their SUV broke down. While they were stranded, they were struck from behind by a tractor-trailer. Culclager was the only survivor.

Culclager and his family had just moved to Jacksonville from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, when Culclager got a new job at NAS Jax. But in a Facebook message posted on Wednesday morning, Culclager said he was bringing his family “home” to rest — in Arkansas, not in their new home.

“I am being strong as I can for everyone in the family and I’m working as fast as I can to bring them home to you guys,” he said in a message to friends and family back in Arkansas.

The funeral for his wife, Yakel Culclager, 36, and children, 18-year-old Tre’Quis Woods-Sims, 17-year-old Tradesia Woods-Sims and 6-year-old Trevieon Woods-Franklin, should take place this weekend.

The pastor of the family’s church, Trinity at Oakleaf, is helping to collect online donations and gift cards to help pay for the travel arrangements.

In the meantime, friends and family mourn the loss of the family and continue to reach out to Culclager to provide support.

“Thank you to everyone who is supporting me right now in the loss of my family,” Culclager said in his Facebook message.

For more information on how you can support Dexter Culclager pay for his family’s funeral and travel expenses, visit the GoFundme page for the Culclager Family Memorial Fund.