Mom Lost Son in Canoe Accident, Then Twins in Hit-and-Run — Now She Faces Long Road to Recovery Amid 'Brutal Nightmare' By Liam Quinn

Eight years after a Maine mother lost her young son in a canoeing accident, she narrowly survived a hit-and-run that killed her 2-year-old twins. Now, she faces a difficult recovery.

Mollie Egold was pushing her twin sons in a stroller, WGME reported, when they were struck by a vehicle on July 11, per Maine State Police. One of the boys, Bradley, was pronounced dead on the scene, while the other, Noah, later died at the hospital.

The horrific crash came nearly a decade after Egold’s then 5-year-old son, William, died after the boat he was in while canoeing went over a waterfall, according to WGME.

The Portland Press Herald reported that Egold is now set to return home after spending two months in the hospital.

The paper interviewed Martha Collins, a family friend who lives with Egold and her surviving 6-year-old son, Connor Bordeaux.

“This whole thing is just a brutal nightmare,” Collins told the paper.

Egold reportedly suffered two broken hips, a broken leg, broken hands and has a piece of glass embedded in her spine, according to Collins, who noted that the grieving mother is now walking under her own power.

“Emotionally, the best I can say is, she is doing as well as can be expected. It’s been a nightmare for all of us,” Collins told the Press Herald. “She’s had emotional loss of the children plus the injuries, but she’s held up. Connor is really struggling. I don’t know how to describe it. We both say, ‘How do you wrap your head around what happened?’”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Police allege that the driver of the vehicle that struck Egold and her sons subsequently fled the scene.

The suspect was identified as Benjamin Lancaster, 44, who was later arrested. He is charged with operating under the influence causing death, operating under the influence causing serious bodily injury, leaving the scene of an accident causing death and leaving the scene of an accident causing serious bodily injury.

He has not yet entered a plea.