'All I can do is pray': LI mom mourns son, 7, boy's father killed in crash

Last week, Candice Edwards was planning a birthday party for her 7-year-old twin boys.

Now, the Glen Cove mother is trying to find a way forward while planning a funeral for her son Carmello and waiting in a Bronx hospital as her son Romello faces a series of surgeries following a car crash that also killed the boys' father.

"All I can do is pray and remain strong and keep going," Edwards, 33, told Newsday through tears. "I just want everyone to be normal and everything to be normal like it was a couple days ago. I want everything to be normal again one more time."

Troy Carter, 36, of Hempstead, and Carmello Carter, of Glen Cove, died early Sunday morning after a Nissan Altima being driven by Troy Carter exited the Hutchinson River Parkway and crashed head-on into a brick wall at about 1:32 a.m. in a New Rochelle neighborhood.

Romello remained in critical condition on Wednesday and his 11-year-old sister, who was riding in the front seat of the Nissan and is Troy Carter's daughter, was expected to recover after undergoing surgery.

Edwards said Carter and the kids were coming back from a friend’s house when he exited the parkway in the Westchester County city and crashed into the four-foot retaining wall.

Police said they do not suspect any criminality in the crash and there’s nothing to indicate drugs or alcohol was a factor. They are awaiting toxicology tests to confirm.

Authorities did not have an estimate of how fast Carter was driving when he exited the highway or when he struck the wall, but he did not appear to brake and nearly missed hitting the wall.

"It was just an accident. I don’t know if he could see the wall," Edwards said. "He was obsessed with the boys and made a wrong turn. It was just an accident and a terrible mistake."

Edwards called Romello, Ro for short, her superhero as he faced his next surgery on Friday. She said she's in awe at his strength as he fights for his life.

Edwards said Romello made it through the most serious surgery Tuesday, but has two or three remaining. He doesn't know what happened, she said, and is slipping in and out of consciousness from pain medication.

"Ro just needs prayer. He can hear me, but he’s in so much pain and can’t be awake for too long," she said. "We don’t know when he’ll be coming home."

Edwards described her two boys as inseparable. They had just started third grade at Landing Elementary School in Glen Cove and were planning a joint birthday party on Oct. 17.

She said Carmello was more shy, but still outgoing. He would often wait for his brother to say hi to strangers.

They played junior softball and soccer together, where Carmello wore his favorite number 10.

"They were so funny and so kind. Carmello could never take a picture without making a face," Edwards said.

Glen Cove School District officials planned to have grief counselors available for students and staff.

The boys' teachers at Deasy and Landing elementary schools said they would always look out for each other. Carmello's loss leaves a void in the Glen Cove community, they said.

"As our class begins to understand and process the tremendous loss of Carmello, we have been recalling the special person that he was and our memories with him," his third-grade teacher, Lauren Topolovec, said in a statement.

" … As his teacher, I loved to see his face light up as he talked about his favorite book, 'Dog Man.' Carmello often spoke about playing video games with his twin brother, Romello. The bond that they shared was apparent when Carmello would write and share stories about him."

Edwards said the boys were everything to their father, Troy Carter, a warehouse worker. She said he taught them how to ride their bikes without training wheels and to use in-line skates. When the park down the street closed the basketball court, he bought a hoop to hang above their driveway. He would host makeshift campouts and movie nights in the house.

"He was obsessed with the kids. They were his shadow," Edwards said. "He was a really good dad and a really good friend."

Edwards, a Northwell hospital training administrator, has been flooded with support from the community, including nearly $53,000 raised through a GoFundMe account by Wednesday evening to cover hospital and funeral expenses.

She said the support has been overwhelming in the face of insurmountable loss.

"I’ve never been to a funeral and never planned anything like this or been in this situation before," Edwards said. "I’m usually a very positive person and I think a lot of things through, but there’s no clear direction after things like this happen."

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.