Hundreds attend funeral of entire family killed in Christmas car crash

An estimated 600 people attended the funeral of Rinold (35), Michelle (36), and Rinaigela (7) in Spijkenisse on Thursday afternoon. The family died in a traffic accident on Groene Kruisweg in Rotterdam during the early hours of Boxing Day. A few hundred others watched a live stream from home, Rijnmond reports.

People left a sea of flowers outside the Crematorium Spijkeniss on Oprelseweg, where the funeral happened. It was so crowded that not everyone could fit into the auditorium. Many watched on screens in the coffee rooms, and some still had to stand outside.

Family members wore red, the color of love. The pastor called it “bizarre to have to say goodbye to an entire family.” He said it was “inconceivable, incomprehensible.”

The director of Rinaigela’s school also spoke. “A chair is missing in group 4,” he said. “Always a child short. We will miss your bright smile.”

The funeral ended with Bob Marley’s song Three Little Birds, assuring the attendees that “every little thing is gonna be alright,” followed by cheerful hip-hop music. A brass band escorted the three coffins to a bier at the end of the funeral service. Rinold, Michelle, and Rinaigela were buried at De Ommering cemetery.

The young family died in a head-on collision with a man from The Hague. He was arrested. According to the police, the man was driving under the influence of alcohol, was speeding, and skipped a red light.