Man Mourns Wife and Daughter Who Died in Crash on Way to Doctor's Appointment: 'Didn’t Even Say Goodbye'

"Their sudden absence has left a deep scar on our family," Christopher Chambers said

A California husband and father said he's "left with unbearable questions" after his wife and 12-year-old daughter were killed in a car crash.

A 44-year-old woman and her 12-year-old daughter — identified by Christopher Chambers as his wife, Beidi, and daughter, Elyse — were involved in a solo crash on June 14, according to the Santa Clara Police Department. When officers arrived just after 2:00 p.m. local time, they found their Tesla slammed into a tree.

Both passengers were found inside the vehicle and pronounced deceased at the scene.

In an emotional message shared on a GoFundMe page, Chambers said the crash started out as a day "like any other." When the pair left for a doctor's appointment, Chambers stayed at home with their son.

"I didn’t even say goodbye," he wrote.

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Chambers told local station KRON-TV that he received a call from the doctor when they failed to show up for their appointment, scheduled for 2:15 p.m.

“They left around 1:45, which shouldn’t have been an issue with getting there on time," he said. "And about 2:30 the doctor called and said they never showed up for their appointment."

On the GoFundMe page, Chambers wrote that after failing to locate their phones and vehicle, he and his son drove to the doctor's office. On the way, they encountered "dark smoke billowing into the sky."

"We ran towards it through the throng of emergency responders, only to find a burning, twisted white Tesla Model Y," he shared. A short while later, he wrote that he learned from police that "it was our car" and that his "wife and daughter had been inside when it was engulfed in flames."

"'Were my girls conscious, in the end? Did they suffer?'" he recalled thinking to himself.

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The grieving man wrote that wished he could take the place of Beidi, whom he met while studying in China.

"Their sudden absence has left a deep scar on our family," he wrote. "A grieving husband and father, a bewildered son, and Beidi’s mother, mourning the loss of her only daughter — not to mention all the extended family and friends whose lives were touched by their lives and love."

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Now, the family is raising money to "find a beautiful, peaceful place for Beidi and Elyse to rest together, side by side."

"Somewhere close by where friends and family can visit them to honor and remember two beautiful lives cut short, gone in the blink of an eye," Chambers wrote. "Please help us ensure their memory remains."

As of Tuesday afternoon, the campaign has raised over $80,000.

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