Bronx ma, 2 kids killed on Thruway

A Bronx mother and her two children died when a tractor-trailer slammed into their stopped car on the New York State Thruway in the Hudson Valley, authorities said Tuesday.

Justin Gayapersad, 10, Chelsea Gayapersad, 14, and Zulika Salim, 47, were sitting in the back of a 2012 Honda Accord when the tractor-trailer crashed into their vehicle about 8:30 p.m. on Sunday. All three died at the scene near Exit 19 in Ulster Township.

Grieving relatives gathered at Salim’s Pelham Bay home, and said the tragedy occurred as the family was returning home from a visit with relatives upstate. Five others who were traveling with Salim and her children survived, the relatives said.

“She was the heart of our family,” said Shafeek Salim, 34, Zulika’s brother. “She was a wonderful woman.”

“Justin and Chelsea were great kids,” he added.

Tractor-trailer driver Luc Leblanc, 61, of Sala derry-de-val, Quebec, struck the Honda from behind, sending the sedan 500 feet forward and clear off the southbound lanes, state police said. He faced no immediate charges.

The driver of the Honda and a front-seat passenger were treated for minor injuries, officials said. The truck also hit the rear passenger side of a 2007 Kia Sedona minivan, which was carrying the other family members from the Bronx, police said.

A passenger in the minivan was airlifted to Albany Medical Center, and two others in the same vehicle suffered minor injuries.