The Middleburg, Florida, man who was killed in an I-10 crash was moving his family back to Jacksonville — and used his own body to shield his daughter and save her life.
Jeremiah Huggins was killed in Louisiana while moving his family cross-country back to Northeast Florida.
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Huggins, 39, was killed when he ran into a pair of semitrucks on I-10.
Huggins' Facebook page listed him as a former student of Clay High School and the University of Central Florida.
His page is loaded with references to superhero movies, and he loved science and computers, his family said.
>> PHOTOS: Middleburg man killed on I-10 shielded daughter during wreck, family says
Huggins was moving back to Middleburg after recently losing his job in California.
His wife witnessed the incident from a vehicle that was following her husband.
His mother, Debbie Oaks, said her son saved her 9-year-old granddaughter’s life.
“He saved every ounce of her, every ounce of her with his own body,” Oaks said.
Ever since childhood, his mother says, Huggins was the type to give you the shirt off his back
“If he thought that you needed it, he’d give it to you,” Oaks said.
The family had hoped for a fresh start in Clay County.
They not only lost a beloved husband and father — they also lost all their belongings in the crash.
Huggins had a job interview lined up in Jacksonville.
Huggins, who leaves behind a wife and three children, had no insurance.
Huggins swerved the car to protect his daughter in the crash and used his body to shield her, his widow says.
Erin Huggins said her husband was not speeding — they had just left a Cracker Barrel — and two semitrucks were stopped on the busy interstate.
The trucks were not well-lit, his wife said.
Jeremiah Huggins was an experienced long-haul driver, his wife said.
“My Jeremiah Alton Huggins (Jay) was 39 years old man who is an amazing father, loving husband,” Erin said on Facebook. “He accomplished so much in such a short time in his life.”
Huggins’ daughter was holding her father’s hand when they pulled her out of the vehicle, his family said.
“This could have been prevented and shouldn’t have happened,” his wife said on Facebook.
Credit: Tim Boyle
Credit: Tim Boyle
A fundraising page has been set up on Facebook by the family.
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