Michigan community mourns loss of Abbas family, one week after deadly wreck

A week after a wreck on I-75 in Lexington killed a Michigan family, members of the Northville and Dearborn communities gathered together once again.

Loved ones filled the Islamic Center in Dearborn, Michigan on Sunday night. Many in attendance spent last Sunday evening in the same spot, as news of the deadly wreck reached family and friends that night.

Even though a week has now passed, the loss is just as raw. "How can you provide comfort and how can you fill the void," asked one family member.

These are questions that many are still grappling with a week after the beloved Abbas family was killed on I-75 in Kentucky, as they were traveling home to a Detroit suburb, from vacation in Florida.

Attorney and real estate agent Issam Abbas, OB-GYN doctor Rima Abbas, and all three of their children, Ali, Isabella, and Giselle, died on the scene.

Officials believe a Georgetown man, 41-year-old Joey Bailey, was intoxicated as he drove the wrong way down the interstate, before hitting and killing the Abbas' and himself.

As active members of their Michigan community, the loss of the Abbas family hit hard, and many spent the week in shock.

"Your love and outpour of sympathy has been so tremendous and unprecedented. Over 5,000 mourners have come to pay their respects, and another 2,000 here today," said one family member at Sunday's vigil.

This latest tribute comes after a week of memorials, funerals, and final goodbyes, however, loved ones know their heartache is far from over.

"When parents and siblings are in solitude, the sounds of weeping from dawn until the late hours of the day, and that feeling of emptiness does not go away. And then, realizing that we must face it each and every day," said a family member as he addressed Sunday's crowd.