Two young Hamilton girls are expected to make a full recovery after surviving a collision that killed both their parents and a young sister during a vacation trip to South Carolina.

Virginia State Trooper O.J. Lilly said Madison Smith, 9, and three-year-old Jenna are both listed in stable condition at the Wake Forest University Baptist Center in Winston Salem, N.C.

He said Madison, who underwent surgery for head trauma, is responding well in the hospital's intensive care unit and her sister is recovering from a broken collar bone and bumps and bruises.The younger sister is in the intermediate care unit, which treats patients with less severe injuries.

"They're both expected to make a full recovery," Lilly said during a telephone interview Saturday evening.

He said he had spoken to the children's grandparents, John and Jane Poulton, who travelled to Winston Salem to be with the children.

Their daughter Sandra Smith, 35, and son-in-law William Smith, 33, were on their way to Myrtle Beach, S.C., with their three girls when the crash occurred about 7 p.m. on I-77 in Wythe County, Va.

Smith lost control of his 2005 Durango SUV, which was towing a 35-foot trailer, and veered across the median into the path of an oncoming tractor-trailer. Both parents and seven-year-old Kaylee were pronounced dead at the scene.

The depth of the tragedy has just started to sink in within the working class Mountain neighbourhood where the young couple had been living for about seven years. Bill was a bus driver with the Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) and Sandra had worked for several years in the accounting department at Turkstra Lumber.

Edith Mann, who lives next door, described the couple as great neighbours whose children had adopted her as a surrogate grandma. She said the family often took out-of-town trips with their trailer and were planning to make a straight run for Myrtle Beach when they left Hamilton early Thursday. They had been travelling about 14 hours when the collision occurred.

Mann said Bill had few surviving relatives in the Hamilton area. He had no brothers or sisters and his mother died several years ago. His father is elderly.

Don Mann, Edith's son, said he had recently gone for a motorcycle ride with Bill, who had purchased a Honda Shadow. He was a little concerned when he saw his friend steering the bike with one hand. "I thought to myself, 'I hope he doesn't get into an accident,'" he said.

He had grown fond of the Smiths and he was still trying to make sense of the fact his fun-loving buddy wouldn't be coming home.

"He was the kind of guy who cheered you up if you were down," he recalled.

There were still two cars in the driveway and the back yard was strewn with toys where the children had been playing only a few days ago.

An impromptu shrine has sprung up on the front porch where people have left flowers, cards and stuffed animals.

A fellow HSR employee, who visited Saturday evening, took off his HSR hat and placed it on the porch next to a white teddy bear.

He was so distraught he could barely talk. He declined to give his name.

"I saw him before he left. I'm scheduled to go on holidays tomorrow," he said as choked back tears.

Funeral arrangements were still be completed.

plegall@thespec.com

905-526-3385