The Culclager Family

About The Culclager Family

Navy Petty Officer Dexter Culclager and Yakel Culclager met about a year into Dexter’s service in the United States Navy. Yakel had three kids already, and Dexter fell in love with all of four of them. When they married, they became one big happy family. Tre'Quis, Tra'Desia, and Tra’Veion were best friends, inseparable, and each other’s biggest fans. This was a Family that genuinely loved and enjoyed spending time together. They had only recently been relocated by the U.S. Navy to Jacksonville when Dexter started working at the Naval Hospital there. The Family fell in love with Jacksonville right from the start and were enjoying all their new opportunities.

Yakel Culclager, 36 (December 3, 1978 – March 2, 2015)

Yakel was a creative and lively woman who loved passionately and cared greatly for her family. She lived by the motto that you stand up for what is right. She loved hard and cared so much about all those around her. She served her community through their church and various other organizations. She was always willing to lend a helping hand and do anything to help someone in need, even if that meant she went without. Yakel was a rock for those close to her and they knew that they could rely on her to support them, whatever they needed. One of her greatest gifts in life was to simply be there for someone. Children gravitated to her bright and kind smile, and she was always willing to help out a fellow parent in need. She fully believed, and liked to share with all that knew her, that a life lived surrounded by those that you love is a wonderful thing.

Tre'Quis Woods-Sims, 18 (April 9, 1996 - March 2, 2015)

Tre’Quis was passionate about football and excelled at it since he was young. Motivated by big dreams, he also had many other successes in his short life. After high school, he hoped to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL, possibly continuing his football career. Tre’Quis was also very artistic. He took that artistry and developed his skills in design, fashion, and marketing, which was helping him become a young entrepeneur! Tre’Quis was selfless in his relationships with his younger sister and brother, who were often found with him or not far behind him. He truly showed them how great a big brother can be.

Tra'Desia Woods-Sims, 17 (September 16, 1997 - March 2, 2015)

Tra'Desia was an incredibly bright young woman who wanted to attend Louisiana State University. She planned to focus her studies to become a Pediatric Neonatal Nurse. Tra'Desia had the biggest sense of humor and the brightest smile to match. She loved her family deeply. She was a cheerleader both on and off the field for her family, supporting her brothers, at home, at school, and through life, together always. She took care of her friends and younger cousins as if they were her own kids. She was incredibly close with her Mother and they shared the strong desire to be of service to their community by helping those in need.

Tra’Veion Woods-Franklin, 6 (December 7, 2008 - March 2, 2015)

At just 6 years old, Tra’Veion was wise and sensible beyond his years. He, like his big sister, could light up any room with his smile. He was smart, strong, and more than capable of keeping up with his teenage siblings. Tra’Veion was loved by many. He had just as many friends as his brother and sister who were in high school. Tra’Veion was a great kid that kept you on your toes and never ceased to amaze you with what he could do. In particular, he enjoyed showing his big brother that his football drills were “small work” and no problem for this tough 6-year-old! Tra’Veion was following in his siblings’ steps, but taking his own path, and had a bright future ahead.

Crash Description

On March 2, 2015, Dexter had just finished his lunch break when he received a call from Yakel. She and the children were on their way to an appointment when their SUV broke down on the Buckman Bridge due to a mechanical failure. While they waited for assistance, another vehicle stopped behind them and traffic began to slow. As Dexter tried to make sense of what was happening and how he could help them, a tractor trailer, which failed to stop in the slowing traffic, collided with the second vehicle and pushed it out of the way. Tra'Desia had seen the truck coming and she let out a scream as it barreled toward them at highway speed. The truck then pushed their car over 100 yards before their SUV was slammed into the concrete barrier and burst into flames, trapping Yakel, Tre'Quis, Tra'Desia, and Tra'Veion. Dexter had been on the phone with them the entire time, until the phone cut out, but he heard his family’s agonizing last moments. Despite the valiant efforts of many Good Samaritans, they were unable to pull them from the vehicle. All four perished. Only a short distance away, Dexter made his way to the crash scene as quickly as he could and had to be physically restrained when he got to the bridge and saw the burning wreckage.

The truck driver was cited for “careless driving” and no criminal charges were ever filed. While the driver held a valid license, he had failed to complete a required substance-abuse program after recently testing positive for a controlled substance while driving a commercial vehicle. The trucking company that hired him, never knew this as they failed to check his driving record or employment history before they hired him to run this load.

“It means that much to me, to be able to do my part … to show the people that make the change in this country, that there is a change that needs to be made because no one deserves to lose their family.” - Dexter Culclager

Life After the Crash

Since the crash, Dexter has vowed to do what he can to prevent other families from experiencing the unimaginable grief that he has had to endure from this preventable truck crash. He hopes that by sharing his story and raising awareness about safer trucking solutions, like collision avoidance systems with Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), which could have saved Dexter’s family if it had been installed and in use in the tractor-trailer.

Years after the crash, Dexter met an amazing woman and they married. The couple has two young children, and he cherishes every moment with them. He left the Navy in 2019 and is now working toward a degree in Biology. He hopes to continue his service to his country with a career in government civil service. Dexter is grateful for this second chance and is determined to keep the memory of the family that he lost alive and to do what he can to make a difference in trucking and highway safety that will save the lives of other families.