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Crash kills ex-Spring Hill couple

Their son wasn't in the SUV when they crashed south of Gainesville on June 2. Family members say they were together constantly ever since meeting six years ago.

By MARY SPICUZZA
Published June 9, 2005

Victor and Stacy Van Sandt were inseparable.

From the time they met on spring break in Daytona Beach in 1999, Victor knew they were made for each other.

"He gave her a ride home, and she said, "Take me back to Ocala; I've got a job there,"' his father, Gene Van Sandt, said. "Instead, he took her up there and said, "Get your clothes. I'm taking you back here to my family. I'm not letting you go.' "

Late on the night of June 2, Victor, 34, and Stacy, 31, died together when their sport utility vehicle flipped several times on Interstate 75 south of Gainesville, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Stacy was driving, and attempted to pull off at a rest stop south of the Williston Road exit at about 11:30 p.m.

"It looked like she was maybe coming off a bit fast," Gene Van Sandt said. "She pulled back on the road, and lost control."

Both were ejected from the SUV. Neither of them was wearing a seat belt, according to the Highway Patrol.

The couple, who worked as tile installers and had moved to the Panhandle from Spring Hill last year, had been visiting a friend.

They had left their 5-year-old son, Victor "Deek" Jr. Van Sandt, with his grandparents.

"They said it was too dangerous driving at night," Gene Van Sandt said. "They wanted to leave him with us."

This is not the first time the Van Sandt family has been forced to cope with a tragic crash.

In 2001, Milton Van Sandt - Victor's oldest brother - was in a crash while on vacation in Mexico, returning from a trip to Guatemala with his family. The driver of a naval bus ran a stop sign and slammed into the Van Sandts' pickup truck and trailer.

Milton's wife, Maria Vasquez, was killed, along with her son, Joshua Paul, and her father, Juan Vasquez.

Milton Van Sandt and his eldest son, Milton Van Sandt III, were taken to a hospital in Mexico. His son, Jeremy, was uninjured, but his son Brandon suffered two broken arms.

Gene Van Sandt said that Stacy was determined that her son, Deek, wouldn't forget their family members lost in that crash.

"She taught him that they're angels in heaven with God," he said. "So, during this crisis, Deek said, "Momma and Daddy went to the hospital and they couldn't make them better, so now they're angels in heaven.' "

Victor Van Sandt, a Gulf War veteran, was disabled after serving overseas. Still, he was a dedicated patriot who asked to be buried at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.

"He used to go there and just look, and he was in awe of how many veterans had given their lives," Gene Van Sandt said. "He said, "If I die, can you bury me there because it is so beautiful."'

Today, the couple will be buried there together.

Victor Van Sandt's sister, D.D. Brooks, said she loved Stacy like a sister and could not believe her brother was gone.

"Always as a little girl, he was always trying to pester me and poke me," Brooks said. "One more little poke or prod would be fine with me."

--Mary Spicuzza can be reached at mspicuzza@sptimes.com or 352 848-1432.

[Last modified June 9, 2005, 01:17:24]