Dozens who know the Cockeysville family pray for the mom who died and her sons who are hospitalized

COCKEYSVILLE, Md. - A light of hope. A prayer for peace.

"My heart just breaks for them and I pray so hard that Matthew makes it," said one women who came to pray for the Slatterys.

They are worries the young friends of 12-year-old Matthew and 16-year-old Peter have never endured.

"I don't even know what I would do if I was Peter and all I knew was my dad was states away, my mom's dead and my brother is unconscious and they don't know what's wrong with him," said Samantha Coulson.

In a second, lives were shattered. Three tractor-trailers and five vehicles were involved in the crash on the Ohio Turnpike Monday morning. Police say the Slattery's car was hit by one tractor-trailer and ran into another.

ABC2 News has learned the driver of the tractor-trailer that hit the car carrying Susan Slattery and her two sons fell asleep before the crash.

Susan Slattery had no pulse when paramedics reached her. She was the Chair of the Mathematics Department at Stevenson University, where she was due back on campus today.

"The void she is leaving is enormous and we won't be able to fill it," said Susan Thompson Gorman, Dean, School of Sciences.

The classmates of Matthew and Peter are praying for their recovery.
Peter awaits surgery, but is expected to survive. Matthew is still unconscious with the next 24-48 hours being most critical.

"He's a good person. I just remember him as being very nice. And he would do anything for anybody if they needed help," said Chelsey Nemphos, Matthew’s classmate.

"He's fun. He always jokes around, but he hangs back when he needs to and he's always there for people whenever we need it and we should be there for him too," said Anna Spear, Matthew’s classmate.

They are praying for a woman who left her print on thousands of lives and for the recovery of her two sons who were her light.

"Drawing together gives us strength and hope that whatever the outcome is it's going to be something good for some member of that family and for this community," said Isabel Blevins, Matthew and Peter’s teacher.

Stevenson University is working on establishing a scholarship in Susan Slattery's name.