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Texas Mother Speaks About Losing Her Son And Husband In Nice Terror Attack, Shares Photo Of Son Taken Seconds Before His Death

By Tara West
Published on: 07:31 PST, Aug 4, 2016

A Texas mother continues to grieve over the loss of her husband and only child, who were both killed in the Nice terror attack. The Texas family was on vacation in Nice, France, watching the Bastille Day fireworks when a terrorist drove a large truck through the crowds killing 84 people. Two of those killed were American citizens, Sean and Brodie Copeland. Mother Kim Copeland recalls how she watched in horror as her husband and only child were mowed down by the truck before running to her son’s aide only to find that he “was gone.”

The Daily Mail recently sat down and spoke to Kim Copeland about the horrifying moment she lost her husband and son in the Nice terror attack. Kim tearfully recalled the moments leading up to the attack in which the family, including her two adult stepchildren, were watching the Bastille Day fireworks at the waterfront. The Texas family was on a dream vacation for Kim’s birthday and had visited Spain before heading to France for the Bastille Day celebrations. The family was on the waterfront enjoying the fireworks and local vendors when the unthinkable happened.

Kim says they were enjoying themselves as a family when all of a sudden her husband Sean screamed, “Watch out!” She says she looked up to see the large white truck hurtling toward them at high speed. The truck missed Kim and her two adult stepchildren, but Sean and Kim’s 11-year-old son, Brodie, were hit. Kim says she ran to her young son’s side, but she knew “he was gone.” Sean would survive for a few hours following the incident, but he would later pass away from his injuries.

Kim recalls that in Sean’s last few hours alive, he spent the entire time asking about Brodie. Unfortunately for Kim and the rest of the Copeland family, Sean would not recover from his injuries and would pass away along with his young son. In the interview with Today, Kim shared a photo of Brodie taken just seconds before the tragedy. In the photo, Brodie is purchasing some candy from a street vendor and is smiling as he places the sweets in a bag.

While the tragedy has left the Copeland family forever changed, Kim says she does not regret taking the overseas trip with her family as the family had some of the most amazing times leading up to the tragic end.

“I don’t regret going on our family vacation together because we had the most amazing days and minutes together as a family of five that I wouldn’t take back.”

In an emotional tribute to the father and son, Sean’s two adult children remembered their father and young brother. The family celebrated the lives of Brodie and Sean by sharing some of their favorite memories of the pair.

Kim Copeland says that she has read every tribute sent to her in Facebook messages, text messages, and posted online. Although Kim says she simply can’t respond to all the messages, she appreciates each and every one of them.

“Although none of us were responding directly to them, we were reading them.”

Kim says that the reality of her son and husband’s death is finally sinking in as the home they built together is now “empty.” She says that although it is difficult, she plans to keep going and loving life as she knows that is what Sean and Brodie would have wanted.

“So I get up and go for them. So that they know I’m OK, because neither one of them would want me to be sad.”

[Image via Facebook/ Kim Copeland]

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