Highlights:
NASCAR champion Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, and members of their family were killed in a plane crash on Thursday, according to family members and public officials. Cristina’s mother, Cathy Grossu, said her daughter sent her a brief and alarming text message just minutes before the crash.
“She texted me from the plane and said, ‘We’re in trouble,’” Grossu told PEOPLE magazine. “And that was it. We’re devastated. We’re completely brokenhearted.”
The crash claimed the lives of seven people. Those killed included Greg Biffle, 55; his wife Cristina Grossu Biffle, 35; their son Ryder, 5; and Biffle’s daughter, Emma, 14, from a previous marriage. Also killed were Dennis Dutton and his son, Jack, along with Craig Wadsworth. Authorities have not yet released full details about what caused the crash.
According to Grossu, the family was traveling for a birthday trip in Florida, a getaway meant to be a joyful and relaxing time together.
“To think this happened during what should have been such a happy family moment is incredibly hard,” she said. “I still cannot believe they are gone.”
Grossu said she had seen her daughter and son-in-law just one day before the trip. While she remembers hugging them, she said she struggles with not recalling their final words to one another.
Cristina Biffle was remembered by family and friends as deeply kind and generous. Grossu shared that one of her daughter’s last acts was helping families in need by mailing Santa letters at her own expense, making sure they were completed before leaving for the trip.
A close friend of Cristina’s, Erica Zangwill, described her as someone who always put others first. “She had the biggest heart,” Zangwill said. “She truly loved helping people.”
Initial reports of the crash did not identify the victims. U.S. Representative Richard Hudson, a family friend, later confirmed the deaths in a public statement, calling Greg Biffle an extraordinary person both on and off the racetrack.
In a joint statement, the families of the victims said they were heartbroken and struggling to process the loss.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the NASCAR community and beyond, as fans and friends mourn a family remembered for their love, generosity, and close bond.
