By: Sabrina Ahmed
sahmed@klkntv.com
Tragedy strikes a Nebraska family, again. A Lincoln mom and her son were killed over the weekend. The family is now facing an extremely traumatic situation for the second time in two years. As they mourn the loss of two loved ones, this family is reminded of how hard it is to stay strong.
"I don't know, try to pick up the pieces," daughter Tessa McMains said.
A family is shattered after Saturday morning. A mom and her son were killed when their car was hit by a train in Kansas. 43-year-old Tracy Core of Lincoln died on her way to the hospital. Her son, 22-year-old Bradley Cusatis, Jr. of Beatrice was killed on impact. They were helping a Kansas farmer harvest, the same way they had for years. The two leave behind a loving family who says both would do anything for anyone.
Tessa McMains, another of Tracy's five kids, says Tracy was a loving mother and grandmother. "My mom lived for her family. She did everything for her kids," McMains said.
And Bradley was a senior in college with a promising future. He has a little boy on the way, due in January. They just bought a new house in Kansas.
"He was their rock and he took care of everything," McMains said.
Tracy has a 14-year-old son, Levi, a freshman at Northeast high school. He plans to move in with his sister, Tessa in Kansas.
"I take Levi and try to make his life as normal as possible," McMains said.
This isn't the first time Levi has been hit by tragedy. Just two years ago, Bradley and Levi's father, Bradley Cusatis Senior, was killed in a car accident on I-80, after a semi lost control. Tessa says she and her family are just trying to sift through the events of the last few days.
"Lost. I don't think it's fair. I don't understand why. They both had so much left of life. Especially Bradley-his life was just beginning," McMains said.
A fund is set up in Levi's name at Wells Fargo. The family hopes to set up a trust to help him go to college..The funeral arrangements are not yet finalized but it will be held in Superior, Nebraska.
